Ezekiel Elliott suspended again; Could miss three divisional matchups.

Following the latest legal action in the case of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, his six-game suspension has once again been reinstated.

Prior to the start of the NFL regular season, the league suspended Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott six games for suspected domestic violence. That alleged action, as a result of a 13-month investigation, was deemed to be a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Still, here we are in November and Elliott has yet to miss a single game through the first nine weeks of the regular season. That’s due to the ongoing court battle between the NFL Player’s Association, Zeke’s legal representatives and the league.

But it now appears Elliott will finally begin that six-game ban starting this weekend, as he’s now expected to miss the Cowboys upcoming matchup with the Atlanta Falcons at home.

On Thursday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals terminated the temporary stay that allowed Elliott to play last Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs and denied the preliminary injunction that might have postponed Zeke’s punishment until next season.

Due to Thursday’s verdict, Elliott’s six-game suspension will be reinstated by the league immediately, with an official transaction notice from the NFL expected soon. As it stands now, Zeke would not be eligible to return to the field for the Cowboys until their December 24th matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

If the suspension extends beyond this Sunday, (as there is still more legal action pending in the courts) the second-year back would miss three pivotal divisional contests that are scheduled for the next six games. Those contests being against the 4-4 Falcons, the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles, the 3-5 Los Angeles Chargers, the 4-4 Washington Redskins, the 1-7 New York Giants and the 4-5 Oakland Raiders.

In his last four games, Elliott has rushed for 506 yards and five touchdowns for the Cowboys. He’s also had three receptions for 96 yards and another score. Elliott has racked up 783 total rushing yards so far this season, which is the second most in the NFL.

With Ezekiel Elliott presumably out, the Dallas Cowboys will turn to running backs Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden and Rod Smith to carry the load and replace his heavy production. But the Cowboys as a whole will have to lift the level of their play if they want to catch the soaring Eagles, who currently have a 2.5 game game lead on Dallas in the NFC East.