Life without Ezekiel Elliott is almost coming to an end for the Dallas Cowboys.
Elliott has just one more game to serve of his six-game suspension, and the Cowboys are eagerly awaiting his return.
"I'm certainly excited to have him back," center Travis Frederick said. "He's a fun guy to be around. He brings that sort of energy and excitement in the locker room. I'm sure that's pent up being away for six weeks."
The Cowboys struggled to adjust without their top playmaker and home-run threat. They were held to single-digit points in the first three games without Elliott, a level of futility never seen before in the organization.
In particular, quarterback Dak Prescott looked as lost as ever. He threw for fewer than 200 yards in each game with no touchdowns, five interceptions and three fumbles in that three-game drought, and admitted trying to do too much.
But Prescott views it as a learning experience after righting the ship in the past two games. He's kept the Cowboys' slim playoff hopes alive with consecutive wins, including throwing for a career-high 332 yards and three touchdowns against the New York Giants last Sunday.
Owner Jerry Jones said on his 105.3 The Fan radio show that Prescott and the Cowboys are better off in the long run because of the struggles experienced last month. Prescott agreed.
"Any experience I get, especially when you're losing a player or just even that tough stretch we had, everything that I encounter I'm going to make sure I use it to make me a better player."
The proof is in the results.
The Cowboys were blown out in three consecutive losses of at least 20 points to the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers. Against the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, though, the Cowboys have won by a combined score of 68-24.
The Cowboys (7-6) play at Oakland (6-7) Sunday night.
Everybody within the organization sees the growth that Prescott has taken in the past month.
"I think that he's grown a lot," Frederick said. "I think you can see, in general, he's been playing better towards the end. I think throughout the season he's improved.
"In the offseason, everyone had questions about whether or not he'd have a sophomore slump deal and who he was going to be again. You could tell by the way he approached the off-season and the way that he works that he was going to continue to improve.
"Maybe hitting some adversity here and there and coming out on the other end a better player."
The Cowboys and Prescott would have liked Elliott to avoid a suspension, of course, but it could be a blessing in disguise.
Prescott had his fair share of struggles and grew frustrated with his play, but managed to keep his poise and composure in tact, for the most part. His even-keeled demeanor might have been most prominently on display last Sunday as the Cowboys didn't pull away from the Giants until late.
Early in the second quarter, Prescott threw a perfect deep ball to Dez Bryant that bounced off Bryant's facemask. It was the second drop of the day for the star receiver, who was clearly bothered by it.
"That drop bugged him and he continued to tell me about it and tried to bring it up," Prescott said. "I just told him to leave it alone. I miss you on passes. It happens."
Later in the quarter, Prescott went back to Bryant, who shrugged off a cornerback and raced to the end zone for a 50-yard score.
"It was what I expected," Prescott said. "I didn't expect Dez just to keep dropping balls or be out of rhythm. I knew he was going to get back to it. No better way than to catch that ball and showing his physical ability of just breaking that tackle and going to score."
That's the poise the coaching staff and front office routinely praise about Prescott. He doesn't get too high or too low, regardless of how things are going.
It might not have been a seamless transition early on in Elliott's suspension, but Prescott eventually figured it out.
He just has to do it one more time against the Raiders.
"He'll continue to grow with the experience that he gets," coach Jason Garrett said. "Right from the start, he's always been someone who benefits from the reps that he gets, whether they are in practice or in a game. He builds on the good stuff and he learns from the stuff that isn't quite as good.
"He's been able to do that and that's why he continues to grow as a player."
