ARLINGTON, Texas -- Ezekiel Elliott's body bent awkwardly as the Detroit Lions' Tahir Whitehead and Tyrunn Walker decked him on the Dallas Cowboys' second play Monday night. The moment highlighted the risks Dallas takes by feeding Elliott's league-leading total for rushing attempts with the NFC's top playoff seed already secured.
The Cowboys are the latest No. 1 seed to wrestle with how much to protect key players in games that do not affect the standings. The broader question for Elliott centers around whether the damage already has been done. The rookie running back carried 12 times Monday night, giving him 322 for the season, 34 more than runner-up David Johnson of Arizona. How many carries are too many carries heading into the postseason?
