The pre-game SNF clip shows Ezekiel Elliott battling a mysterious injury before kickoff

Dallas Cowboys fans have been patiently waiting all day for the team to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers Football on Sunday evenings. That patience will be tested even more as the game is currently on a weather delay “until further notice,” according to Acrisure Stadium officials.

The stormy conditions will pose a challenge for the Cowboys if it is deemed safe enough to play, but they may have another obstacle to overcome. During the delay, NBC reported Football night in America showed Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott getting ready in the locker room.

While Prescott listened to music, Elliott was seen with a bandage over his right shoulder. The veteran running back was clearly uncomfortable and couldn’t even put on his shoulder pad. He grabbed the shoulder after failing to place the pad over his head. You can watch the clip at this link.

This doesn’t look good for Elliott. The two-time rushing champion appeared on the injury report Thursday, but only because of dehydration. There was no mention of a shoulder injury. He had limited participation but practiced fully on Friday and was completely off the injury report on Saturday.

It’s possible that Elliott is just in pain, but he was audibly uncomfortable as he tried to put on his pads. Did the injury, for lack of a better term, occur while Zeke was getting dressed? Perhaps he felt a pulling or stinging sensation as he lifted the pads over his shoulder?

This is obviously all conjecture. Elliott might be OK. Cowboys reporters didn’t mention that Elliott is dealing with an injury. Failure to report an injury is a violation of NFL rulebook, and Dallas has a clean track record when it comes to reporting injuries in the past.

This might not end up being a story, but assuming the video makes the rounds on social media, reporters after the game will likely ask about Elliott’s mysterious injury.

Whatever Elliott has to do, the Cowboys will still have to rely on Rico Dowdle against the Steelers. Dowdle has emerged as the team’s leading running back over the last two weeks. Elliott saw just two carries before halftime in last Thursday’s win over the Giants.

Elliott might get more carries due to the sloppy weather conditions, but Dallas might be better off turning to Hunter Luepke since the grizzled vet clearly isn’t at 100%.

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