It seems like ancient history now, but less than seven weeks ago, Ezekiel Elliott's NFL career got off to a very quiet start. The Cowboys' fourth overall draft pick shouldered the load for an offense playing without its veteran quarterback, Tony Romo. With fellow rookie Dak Prescott taking snaps, Elliott wasn't able to get much going on the ground against the Giants, finishing with just 51 yards in 20 carries. The Cowboys lost 20-19, in part because of Elliott's struggles as a ball carrier.
Things weren't much better the next week, when Elliott managed just 83 yards on 21 carries. Fortunately for the Cowboys, they still beat Washington 27-23, but their rookie star was averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, and there was little to indicate he was on the verge of any kind of history.
But things changed in a hurry, as they so often do in the NFL. Elliott gained 140 yards in a 31-17 win over Chicago, then 138 yards as the Cowboys defeated San Francisco 24-17, followed by 134 yards in a 28-14 drubbing of Cincinnati in Week 5.
In Week 6, Dallas traveled to Green Bay, where Elliott's streak of big games looked likely to end. To that point in the season, the Packers had not allowed any team to run for more than 50 yards in a game and were holding opponents to just 2.0 yards per carry. Elliott trampled the previously stout Green Bay defense for a career-best 157 yards, the first player in more than a year to run for 150 yards against the Packers.
Given the caliber of competition, it was a resounding exclamation point that made it very clear to the NFL that Elliott was no fluke -- and that he and the Cowboys would not be going away.
Elliott is now averaging 117.2 rushing yards per game, a full 20 yards ahead of the next-best running back (Arizona's David Johnson). His total of 703 yards is also the best start for a rookie runner in more than 30 years.
But can Zeke keep this pace up? Let's take a look back at previous rookie running back standouts to see what they can tell us about Elliott's likelihood of putting together a record-breaking rookie season.