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2 Ezekiel Elliott fumbles lead to Cardinals touchdowns: 'It's not acceptable'

Offense was hard to come by early on Monday night between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.

But Ezekiel Elliott greased the scoring wheels in the second quarter with a pair of miscues that led directly to Cardinals touchdowns for the first points on the board.

Elliott fumbled a shovel pass from Andy Dalton near midfield early in the second quarter that Cardinals defensive end Jordan Phillips recovered.

Eleven plays later, Kyler Murray connected with Christian Kirk on a 6-yard shovel pass to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.

Another Zeke fumble, another Cardinals TD

On the next Cowboys drive, Elliott did it again. On the second play of the ensuing Dallas possession, Elliott fumbled after taking a handoff from Dalton. This time, Phillips punched the ball out, and cornerback Byron Murphy picked it up.

Five plays later, Kenyan Drake scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give Arizona a 14-0 lead.

On the next Cowboys drive, Tony Pollard lined up in the backfield instead of Elliott. But Elliott’s benching didn’t last long, as he returned to the game later in the same possession.

The Cardinals went on to win, 38-10.

Elliott has a fumbling problem

Elliott has dealt with fumbling issues with 18 over the course of his career, and — according to ESPN’s Lisa Salters — vowed this week to not fumble again this season.

He’s not off to a great start with that plan, and addressed the issue after the game.

“I don’t think it was really much of what they did. I think it was me. I’m supposed to be a guy that this team can rely on. I’m supposed to be a guy that this team can lean on when times get rough,” Elliott said, via David Helman of DallasCowboys.com. “I just wasn’t that today. I got us off to a terrible start. The defense, they were playing well, but I killed our momentum. Two fumbles — I can’t do that. I can’t.”

Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (32) strips the ball from Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) in the first half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
A pair of Ezekiel Elliott miscues led to the first points on the board on Monday. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

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