Will Los Angeles Rams struggle to stop Ezekiel Elliott in Week 4?

If the Los Angeles Rams are going to have any chance at defeating the Dallas Cowboys, the defense will need to contain Ezekiel Elliott.

Don’t look now, but the Los Angeles Rams are looking to make a statement this weekend against the Dallas Cowboys by showing the NFC they have what it takes to compete with the best teams in the conference. Obviously, that’s easier than done when considering the two wins by the Rams so far have come against the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers, which is why a win on Sunday could be huge for Sean McVay‘s squad.

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With that being said, the only chance that’s ever going to happen is if the defense of Los Angeles figures out a way to contain superstar running back Ezekiel Elliott. Throughout the first three games of 2017, Elliott hasn’t looked like the dominant running back that led the league in rushing as a rookie last year, but the argument can be made he’s been a bit distracted over all of the issues he’s dealing with off the football field.

Either way, when looking at how much the run defense has struggled in three games, the Rams realize nothing may compare to what they may see when facing Elliott. Think about it, if the Washington Redskins were able to produce 229 yards on the ground against Los Angeles, Elliott has to be licking his chops over just the thought of this matchup.

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At least for Wade Phillips, the Rams defensive coordinator had a few extra days to prepare for this key NFC game since the team is coming off a Week 3 performance against the San Francisco 49ers in which they played on Thursday. Containing a talented running back like Elliott is never an easy task, and it will be interesting to see whether Los Angeles has what it takes on defense to at least keep this game close, or the team could be heading back to .500 heading into Week 5.