Ezekiel Elliott recalls backlash after Dallas Cowboys’ ugly loss to Denver Broncos

It was one of the uglier moments in recent Dallas Cowboys memory.

Their 42-17 loss to the Denver Broncos in September of 2017 was an early sign that the sophomore seasons for Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott were not going to be as smooth as their 13-3 rookie season.

For many Cowboys fan, the game might infamously be remembered for Aqib Talib’s 103-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final minute of the game. Cameras caught Elliott standing near midfield with his hands on his hips watching Talib race in for the touchdown.

Elliott heard the complaints in the wake of the play. He isn’t proud of the moment. The Cowboys (6-1) host the Broncos (4-4) at noon Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

That game remains Elliott’s worst in the NFL. He finished with eight yards on nine carries. He hasn’t rushed for less than 30 yards in 77 other games.

“I didn’t put my best effort forward on that play,” said Elliott, who missed seven games later in the season because of an NFL suspension. “I didn’t make too big of a deal out of it. I know myself as a player. I know I’m a high-effort player and I think at the moment, I can’t really remember exactly what was going on, but I didn’t put that on film. So it was an easy fix. Just don’t do that ever again, so I didn’t.”

The game included a lightning delay, which Elliott said made it tough to get momentum going. He’s a different player now, and the Cowboys are a different team, he said.

“That was a while ago,” he said. “Definitely a different dude, definitely a different team.”

Elliott is coming off a 50-yard game on 16 carries, plus four catches for 23 yards in the win against the Minnesota Vikings. It may not have been one of his statistical career highlights, but the first down he picked up with a 15-yard reception on a 3rd-and-11 was a personal highlight, he said. Instead of trying to just nibble a few more yards to set up a game-tying field-goal attempt with 1:04 left in the game, Elliott caught the pass in the flat and busted through two Vikings tacklers and then carried a third defender to pick up the first down and set up a Cowboys touchdown.

“Probably top-five [play] in my career,” he said. “Just in the moment and what it meant for the game. I just went out there and tried to make a play.”

When he watched a replay later, the only thing Elliott thought was, “I wish I would have scored.”