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Buccaneers: How to Stop Ezekiel Elliott on Sunday Night

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:27 a.m. ET

Fansided, Alan Schechter/FanSided via The Pewter Plank

How do the Buccaneers stop Ezekiel Elliott on Sunday night?

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The Buccaneers are flying high but have a tough task ahead of them. Our trip back to primetime involves a date with the Dallas Cowboys. That’s right, the 11-2 Dallas Cowboys are up next. Despite losing to the Giants last week, the playoffs are already clinched and they are still in the NFC East driver’s seat.

The Bucs will have to bring their best in order to continue their winning streak.

Ezekiel Elliott has taken the league by storm. In his rookie season out of Ohio State, his 1,392 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns have him in the discussion for not only Rookie of the Year, but MVP as well.

He has already posted six-100 yard rushing performances. In short, he has been dominant. He will prove to be a huge litmus test for this ever-improving Bucs defense, and specifically the front seven.

So how to the Bucs stop him? That is the subject of this week’s roundtable discussion.

Dec 11, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) celebrates a sack by Robert Ayers Jr. (91) in the first half against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Get Some Push Up Front

Ezekiel Elliott has been running wild all year long. It won’t be easy for the Buccaneers to stop him this Sunday night. It’ll take a complete effort from the entire defense. But, as important as Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David will be, the key to stopping the young rookie will be the push from the defensive line.

The front four has played lights out for Tampa Bay during this current five-game winning streak. They’ve done an excellent job of stopping the run, in addition to getting after the quarterback. They’ll have to continue to get good pressure this week if they want to keep Elliott in check. It’s no big secret that the Dallas offensive line is a major part of the rookie’s success. The group is one of the best in the league, and it has done an outstanding job of opening holes for Elliott all year long.

Robert Ayers and Noah Spence will need to get pressure off the edge, while Gerald McCoy will need to make plays in the middle. If the Tampa Bay front four can get some push against that talented Cowboys offensive line, stopping Elliott will be a bit more manageable.

–Bailey Adams

Dec 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) drops back to pass against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Must Mess With Dak

The Bucs’ defense this season has only allowed one 100 yard rusher. Now going up against arguably the best running back in the NFL, there is only one way to stop him. Getting into the head of rookie play caller Dak Prescott is the Bucs best hope. As you saw this past weekend against the Giants, Prescott seemed to be off his game. Whether that be due to the pressure he received or unfamiliar coverages he witnessed, it started to look like the Giants found his kryptonite.

Making the Cowboys a one-dimensional offense will allow our dominant front seven to control the box. Although they will be going up against the best offensive line in NFL history (yes you read the correctly), Gerald McCoy and company are no slouches. Control the line of scrimmage to control the game. The Bucs will prove to the world this week that they should be respected.

–Zach Sauers

Dec 11, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) warms up prior to the game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Seal the Edge

The Bucs will most definitely have a tall order on Sunday, stopping the league leading running back in Dallas. Although stopping Elliot is tough it’s not impossible. I do believe we will see a heavy dose of Robert Ayers and William Gholston on first and second down. With those two guys sealing the edge and containing, they will force Elliot right into the arms of GMC and the linebacking core.

The linebacking core will be key throughout the game. Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander are two of the fastest linebackers to the ball in the NFL, on Sunday they have to play at their best. Stopping Elliot will not be a one-man job, it will be a team effort. The defense needs to commit to making Dak beat them through the air, not Elliot on the ground. In order to stop Elliot on Sunday the family has to have each other’s back.

–Marc Magana

Dec 11, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) celebrates with Noah Spence (57) after a stop late in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints 16-11. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Good Tackling

The reborn Buccaneer defense takes on their toughest task to date this week in the Dallas Cowboys who have rookie MVP candidates at both the quarterback and running back position. Dak Prescott has had a fantastic season, but as far as threats to the Bucs go Ezekiel Elliot is priority number one.

The key for the Bucs has to be winning at the line of scrimmage and allowing their electric pair of linebackers to wreak havoc in the backfield. Elliot is among the very best in yards after contact, so David and Alexander will need to be sound tacklers and create tackles for loss that force Dak Prescott into long conversions. Elliot has yet to be stopped by anyone this season, so he’s most likely going to get his 100 yards rushing. What the Bucs can do however is be sure Elliot stays out of the endzone, like the Giants did last weekend, and make the rookie quarterback beat them.

–Michael Horan

Dec 4, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Lavonte David (54) gestures as he runs an interception back for a touchdown against the San Diego Chargers during the third quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Good Reads and Downhill Tackling

Ezekiel Elliott is a big-play threat every time he touches the ball, and if the Bucs are going to slow him down it’s going to take good reads and downhill tackling from two players more than any others: Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David.

The two Pro-Bowl caliber linebackers are going to have their hands full at the second level trying to make first level plays as the Cowboys’ top-shelf offensive line will look to dominate the Bucs’ talented defensive front.

Missed tackles against a running back of this caliber simply won’t get the job done and the third-level defenders will have quite the uphill climb to overcome if they are forced to stop Elliott consistently.

The Bucs’ defensive line is overmatched on paper, but games are played on the field and big games with strong tackling from this linebacker duo will surely help contain the soon to be Offensive Rookie of the Year.

–David Harrison

Dec 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) warms up prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Make Dak Win the Game

The Bucs are one of the hottest teams in football right now and with that comes added pressure. Pressure makes diamonds however so the Bucs need to stay focused if they want to keep winning. The Bucs are going against one of the top three teams in the NFL this week and they are a top team for a reason. They don’t turn the ball over and they run the ball more than anyone else. The main reason they are so good is the best offensive line in football.

Having a stud rookie in Ezekiel Elliott running behind them doesn’t hurt either. The best way to stop Elliott is to let him do his thing and force Dak to beat you. The Giants gave the NFL world the blueprint for beating the Cowboys and Dak proved that he can’t handle pressure well. Elliot was held out of the end zone but he still had his 100 yards. Dak was 17/37 for 165, one touchdown, two picks, and was sacked three times in the loss to the Giants. No one has been able to stop Zeke, the NFL leading rusher, this season and Dak touches the ball every single snap, stop him you can stop the Cowboys.

–Brian DeFeo

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) runs out of the tunnel as he is introduced before the game against the Chicago Bears at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Pressure Up the Middle

The key to stopping Zeke is right up the middle – a strength of these Bucs as of late. Kwon Alexander will play a pivotal role Sunday and I fully expect him to be assigned to go man-on-man with Elliott all game long.

Dec 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) carries the ball during a game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Cowboys defeated the Vikings 17-15. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Stack the Box

This fantastic young talent has been causing teams fits all season long. Mike Smith is going to have the defense cheat up a bit, and use some eight or nine-man boxes. If they are going to have a chance to overload the Dallas line, extra guys will be the way to do it. Elliott has an ability to hit even a small crease quickly, and it’s an ability beyond his years. More guys will give the Bucs a chance.

Even with that, Ezekiel is likely to put numbers up. He has done it all year. Get after Prescott. Last week against the Giants, Prescott completed seven passes against the blitz for just 47 yards, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). If the Bucs can get in his face, and use some stacked boxes, they can pull the upset in big D.

–Alan Schechter

You have heard from us, now it’s your turn. How do we pull off the upset? Sound off below.