After poor debut, even Ezekiel Elliott knows he has to be better

Ezekiel Elliott says he wasn't brought to Dallas to be average.

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 51 yards and one touchdown in his debut for Dallas last Sunday, and he says he has higher expectations than that.

Elliott told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he had an average performance in a one-point loss to the New York Giants. He averaged 2.6 yards per carry after averaging 6.7 at Ohio State.

"That's not why I was brought here to be average, so we've got a lot of work to get done," Elliott said. "A lot to work on. But, you know, it's the NFL. You can't win every game, so I've just got to get back to work and get better next week."

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Elliott scored on a eight-yard touchdown run in the third quarter but had no longer run in the game. Dallas could have used an explosive run in the game as New York didn't allow a play any longer than 21 yards.

But it's only one game, and Jerry Jones isn't worried. The Cowboys owner said he saw promise in Elliott's performance.

"I thought he was running hard," Jones said. "He was, of course, physical. They were determined to stop our run and did, to some degree. ... But I was not at all disappointed with him."

Dallas plays the Redskins on the road on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.