CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the second consecutive game, the Dallas Cowboys have run for more than 100 yards on the ground. Last week, it was Rico Dowdle having a career day and, in the matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 11, it was Tony Pollard leaving a sizable handprint on the outcome.
Pollard rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per handoff and contributed as a receiver out of the backfield as well. One of the biggest plays of the afternoon also belonged to Pollard — a 21-yard touchdown run that saw him put his decisiveness, explosiveness and physicality all on display.
"Coaches did a great job of getting us a great play in," Pollard said of the touchdown run after the game. "The O-line cleared things out and gave me lanes to run through [and I] was just being physical — running through arm tackles and making something happen. … It felt great. It felt great just being in the open field, making plays and getting into the end zone."
The timeliness of the highlight couldn't have been better, seeing as it punctuated an answer by the Cowboys' offense after Bryce Young and the Panthers scored on the prior series to make it a 17-10 contest.
"It was big, especially for the momentum of the game," said Pollard. "They had just come off of a touchdown to make it a one-score game, so it was big for us to go down there and get those points."
As noted, the Cowboys' rushing attack is beginning to find its groove in November, and that bodes well as the temps begin to drop in December [regular season] destinations such as Buffalo and Washington.
"We're just figuring out what works for us, what we like to run and what works best," he said. "We're just getting into rhythm."
Up next, however, aren't the teams that await the Cowboys in December. It's the Washington Commanders, who are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the New York Giants and who also defeated the Cowboys in their last meeting.
That battle is four days from the victory over the Panthers, on Thanksgiving and with all the world watching, so there's little to no time for Pollard and the Cowboys to bask in what happened in Charlotte on Sunday.
"As soon as we get to Dallas, it's back to work," he said. "It's a workday as soon as we touch down."
