Elliott: ‘Absolutely mandatory’ Cowboys beat Redskins

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a game where everything went right in a dominant 40-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Dallas’ offense, in particular, woke up from an early-season slumber to produce 206 yards rushing and 378 total yards of offense to provide a much-needed jolt in the right direction.

Now, the Cowboys seek to use last week’s game as momentum to improve on a 3-3 record heading into Sunday’s road game against the Washington Redskins (3-2).

“It was a game we needed,” running back Ezekiel Elliott said, via the Star-Telegram. “I’ve said it before if we don’t build on it, everything we did last week really means nothing.”

Elliott raises a valid point, as consistency is what the Cowboys must accomplish in the tight NFC East, where the Redskins lead the division by a half game.

And the key for the Cowboys surrounds overcoming the early road woes that have plagued the team through six games. The Cowboys have shown to be a tale of two teams this season, winning three games at home and losing three games on the road.

Elliott hopes he and his teammates put a stop to that development in Week 7.

“I think it’s absolutely mandatory that we do,” Elliott said. “That’s our focus this week is going into this game, having great communication and starting fast, putting points on the board.”

The schedule sets up well for the Cowboys’ desire to build momentum before a Week 8 bye when considering the opponent.

While they are away from home, the Cowboys own a 70-44-2 all-time record in the regular-season series against Washington and have won four straight games against their divisional rival.

Elliott has also enjoyed success on his career against Washington, totaling 330 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 74 carries in three games.