Cowboys hope Ezekiel Elliott's return goes better than Aaron Rodgers'

For the second straight weekend, a major NFL star returns to the field after an extended absence, hoping to help his team make an unlikely push into the NFC playoffs.

Last Sunday, it was Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers coming back from a broken collarbone. This Sunday, it's Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott returning from his six-game suspension by the NFL.

The Cowboys can only hope they fare far better with Elliott than the Packers did with Rodgers, who threw three interceptions in Green Bay's loss at Carolina. That defeat and the Falcons' triumph Monday night eliminated the Packers from playoff contention, and Green Bay cut short Rodgers's return by shutting him down and placing him on the season-ending injured reserve list Tuesday.

Elliott and the Cowboys play Sunday at home against the Seahawks in a matchup of two teams with once-lofty ambitions now trying desperately to sneak into the postseason as a wild card. The Seahawks expect to see Elliott at something resembling his best, even with his extended layoff.

"He'll be really fired up to play football, yeah," Seattle Coach Pete Carroll said at a midweek news conference. "He's got to be about as hungry as you can get."

The issue, of course, is whether Elliott will be ready to handle a workload of 20 to 25 carries in his first game since Nov. 5.

"We'll see," Carroll said. "I would think he'll handle it. It sounds like he did everything you could to work out and get in shape and all that. We'll find out."

Elliott was said to be slim and in shape when he reported back to the Cowboys this week after training during his suspension in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Elliott cut short a session with reporters this week after declining to discuss what he'd done during his suspension. But the Cowboys are eager to see just how productive he can be.

"We'll just watch in practice and see if he seems like his normal self and is handling the work physically from a conditioning standpoint, mentally," Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett said at a midweek news conference. "But, again, we'll just take it day by day."

The Cowboys' playoff chances are slim. They must beat the Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles in their remaining two games and hope that the Detroit Lions lose once and the Panthers, Falcons or New Orleans Saints lose twice. Alternatively, the Cowboys can get in by winning twice and having both the Panthers and Saints lose twice.

Elliott was playing well before his suspension took effect, averaging 126.5 rushing yards per game in his final four outings. The Cowboys went 3-3 without him, losing the first three games but winning the final three as Alfred Morris and Rod Smith filled in at running back.

"He's capable of doing anything we'd ask him to do at the running back position," Garrett said. "He's obviously a very good runner. He's a good receiver. He's a good protector. He can play in any situation. So we'll work through this week and see what he's able to do in this game plan. We'll certainly keep Alfred ready and we'll certainly keep Rod ready. . . . All hands on deck. We'll proceed normally this week and figure out how we're playing everybody come [this] weekend."

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Around the League

Panthers sale . . . It will take a very wealthy individual to buy the Panthers from founder Jerry Richardson, with some estimates that the sale price could be around $2.5 billion. League rules say that a controlling owner must own at least 30 percent of the equity (although in almost all cases, it has been more than that at least initially). That controlling owner must demonstrate the financial wherewithal to run the team long term. There is a debt limit set at $250 million per team. The deal, when struck with Richardson, will be vetted by the owners on the NFL's finance committee and must be ratified by at least 24 of the 32 owners leaguewide.

Catch rule complications . . . It will be another offseason, another chance for the league's rulemaking competition committee to parse every word in the NFL's catch rule to see if changes are necessary. "Every year, we've studied this rule," Al Riveron, the league's senior vice president of officiating, said in a conference call with reporters Thursday. "And for numerous reasons, we've kept it where it is. . . . That does not stop us from going over it again."

Don't count on significant changes this time, either. Keep in mind that the NFL believes the current construction of its catch rule goes hand-in-glove with its rules relating to illegal hits on defenseless receivers. To change the catch rule probably would mean changing the rules regarding illegal hits on defenseless receivers, and that's not likely to happen.

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Extra Points

Louis Riddick, the ESPN analyst who formerly was a front office executive for the Eagles and Washington Redskins, interviewed Thursday for the New York Giants' vacant general manager job. Riddick's interview came a day after the Giants interviewed Dave Gettleman, the former Carolina GM who is regarded by many as the front-runner for the job. Whether Riddick gets the Giants' job or not, he is deserving of getting a chance to be a GM somewhere, at some point. The guess here is that he'll do well when he gets his chance. . . .

Take a look back at the Saints' first four picks in this year's NFL draft: cornerback Marshon Lattimore and offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk in the opening round, safety Marcus Williams in the second round, running back Alvin Kamara in the third round. Lattimore and Kamara are headed to the Pro Bowl as rookies, and Ramczyk and Williams have been full-time starters. Not bad, huh? General Manager Mickey Loomis deserves consideration for NFL executive of the year for that draft haul.

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Games to watch

Bills at Patriots . . . The Bills could seek vengeance against Rob Gronkowski for his hit on Tre'Davious White. But they'd be better served to focus on the game and their chance to reach the playoffs.

Falcons at Saints . . . The NFC South title remains up for grabs.

Seahawks at Cowboys . . . At least one of these would-be NFC heavyweights is missing the playoffs, if not both of them.

Steelers at Texans . . . Pittsburgh needs to show it can bounce back from the painful loss to the Patriots.

Games to Miss

Broncos at Redskins . . . It's interesting only if you regard it as Kirk Cousins' audition for John Elway and the Broncos.

Browns at Bears . . . The Browns' chase for 0-16 has lost its luster now that it's an annual attempt.

Giants at Cardinals . . . Has Eli Manning's Giants tenure reached its final weeks?

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