Dallas Cowboys concerned about Ezekiel Elliott. How do they handle him going forward?

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said the team is concerned about the health of running back Ezekiel Elliott, who has been bothered by a knee injury for the past few weeks.

Backup Tony Pollard got the bulk of the load on offense in Thursday’s 36-33 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Elliott had nine carries for 25 yards and six catches for 24 yards but was visibly limited in what he could do. Elliott said afterward that his injury probably affected the Cowboys’ game plan.

“He’s a competitor. He wants to be out there playing,” vice president Stephen Jones said on Friday. “We were trying to spell him some yesterday. Obviously [Tony] Pollard is a hell of back, a hell of a playmaker for us, trying to really manage [Elliott] to some degree yesterday.”

Elliott leads the Cowboys with 160 carries for 720 yards and eight touchdowns. But there are signs of diminishing returns. He had nine carries for 32 yards in the 19-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs before the Raiders game.

So how should the Cowboys handle a hobbled Elliott going forward?

Should they continue to manage his practice time and touches in the game or should they sit him down and give him some rest to allow the injury to heal?

Elliott has no interest in sitting down, according to sources. He wants to be out there for the team.

But the Cowboys are becoming concerned.

“I am concerned. He’s a warrior. He was fighting to get back in there every time, all day yesterday,” McCarthy said. “But yeah, it’s that time of year. Zeke’s running style is ferocious. He gives a pounding and he takes some hits. We need to evaluate that and this week we’ll see what the preparation looks like for him.”

The Cowboys play at the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 2 and then have 10 days off before facing Washington on Dec. 12 to begin a five-game stretch to end the season.