NFL Playoffs: 5 bold predictions for Cowboys vs Buccaneers

4. Ezekiel Elliott will get fewer than 10 carries

Elliott still fancies himself as an elite NFL running back, but the statistics just don’t back that up. There’s a reason why Tony Pollard is the first back that opposing defensive coordinators study each week on film.

This prediction is dependent on Vita Vea being ready to go for Tampa. He sat out the regular season finale in what most viewed to be a cautionary decision by the Buccaneers. If he’s plugging up the middle of the line there simply won’t be room for Elliott to get going on the ground.

Instead, the Cowboys will try to juice their ground game by giving Pollard opportunities to attack the edge of this speedy Tampa defense. That might not work for Dallas either. This is a game that Dak Prescott and his receivers ar going to need to win via the air.

Mike McCarthy and his offensive staff will do their best to establish the run early and that will include giving Elliott a handful of carries in the first quarter. A big key for Dallas will be to realize that’s a battle they can’t win early in the game. If they keep plunging Elliott into the line for four quarters then their postseason journey will end in Florida. If they go to the air early they’ve got a chance to break their Brady hex.