Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard has been selected as the FedEx Ground Player of the Week for his performance in the week eight victory over the Chicago Bears.
During only his fourth career start, Pollard finished the game with 131 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on only 14 carries, totaling 146 yards from scrimmage.
Pollard was voted the winner over Titans running back Derrick Henry and Panthers back D’Onta Foreman.
Even with Pollard’s outburst, I was surprised he overtook Henry for the award, who rushed for over 200 yards and two touchdowns.
The start for Pollard came as Ezekiel Elliott was sidelined with a knee sprain.
The performance in week eight marked the fifth time Pollard has rushed for 100 yards or better.
It also made Pollard only the sixth player in Cowboys history with more than 100 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a game. The first to accomplish the feat since Julius Jones did it against the Seattle Seahawks in 2004.
This year’s game plan has seen almost a 50-50 split, something many fans wanted out of the two running backs.
Elliott has 109 rushing attempts, while Pollard has 81 on the year. We can go back and forth on who should start every game, but the team will need them both in the second half of the season.
Pollard gives you the burst and his ability to make defenders miss in the open field. That is a big reason he was able to have a career day against the Bears.
Zeke gives you short yardage and his blocking ability; they both are critical to the Cowboys’ success in the future.
Let’s appreciate what Dallas has in them as a run-first offense. They are thundering and lightning together.
The Cowboys have a great thing going between these two backs, and hopefully, this will not be the last time we see Pollard earn an award like this.