Los Angeles Rams won’t have to face Ezekiel Elliott in Week 4 due to suspension

Ezekiel Elliott won’t be on the football field in Week 4 for the Dallas Cowboys when they take on the Los Angeles Rams.

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Rams will officially kickoff their preseason by facing the Dallas Cowboys, who finished with the best record in the NFC last season at 13-3. While the Rams will be the host for Saturday’s preseason matchup, the team will catch a break when they travel to Dallas for the second meeting between these two teams in Week 4 of the regular season since Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott won’t be able to suit up.

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In what may have been the biggest news story in the NFL heading into the weekend, Elliott was notified on Friday that he would be suspended for the first six games of the 2017 NFL season due to domestic violence. Unfortunately, a suspension seemed likely for Elliott when considering all of the rumors swirling for weeks surrounding the running back, but the argument can be made that nobody expected Dallas to be hit this hard.

If anything, the Cowboys expected Elliott to receive one or two games at most when looking at some of the other suspensions involving NFL players over the years with similar incidents. And while the running back is expected to appeal the suspension, at least the Rams will catch a break in October since they won’t have to face Elliott, that is unless his appeal results in fewer games.

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Either way, even if Elliott’s suspension stands, Los Angeles will still have their work cut out for them when facing Dallas’ offense if last season is any indication of what’s in store for 2017. Elliott may be their most dangerous weapon on offense, but other key players for the Cowboys such as Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant will certainly be a major test for the Rams’ defense.