New England Patriots' Ezekiel Elliott Non-Factor vs. Dallas Cowboys in 38-3 Blowout Return

New England Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott didn't get a chance to make an impact in his return to face the Cowboys as Dallas demolished his new team, 38-3.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott will have to settle for a late dinner Sunday, because the former All-Pro wasn't fed by the New England Patriots in his Week 4 return to face the Dallas Cowboys - a 38-3 home-team demolition of Zeke's new team.

Elliott was released this past offseason by the Cowboys, after rushing for 8,262 yards in parts of seven seasons with the team. Even if the former No. 4 overall pick didn't necessarily leave Dallas on bad terms, he likely hoped to have a huge game in his return to AT&T Stadium. But you can only control so much as a running back, particularly when you're the 1B running back to Rhamondre Stevenson. 

But offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and the Patriots were playing from behind for pretty much the entirety of Sunday's game. New England was outscored 18-0 by the Cowboys in the second quarter, and trailed 28-3 at halftime. 

After the lopsided decision, Dallas QB Dak Prescott said warmly that the Pats should've let Zeke run some more. But ... This just wasn't a game that lent itself to New England running the ball, because they were down significantly pretty much from the word go. 

Ezekiel Elliott and the New England Patriots got blown out by the Dallas Cowboys Sunday. (USA Today)

We'll never know exactly what O'Brien and coach Bill Belichick had planned if the game had been manageable. After receiving 28 total carries across the first three weeks of the season, perhaps Elliott would have been unleashed in his homecoming game. Instead, the 28-year-old finished the day with just 16 yards on six carries, with New England as a team rushing for only 53 yards on 23 carries (2.3 yards per carry). 

It's been a disappointing start to Elliott's tenure in New England, after he joined the Patriots on a one-year, $3 million deal in August. In four games, Elliott has just 34 carries. The Patriots are 1-3, and have a -42 point differential so far this season. The post-Aaron Rodgers New York Jets have been worse, but the Patriots look lightyears behind both the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins in their own division. 

Dak and Zeke

Meanwhile, the Cowboys are 3-1, and have been one of the better teams in the sport through the first four weeks. We'll begin to learn just how serious of a contender that Dallas is during their Sunday Night Football tilt with the 4-0 San Francisco 49ers next week, but at a minimum, the Cowboys look destined to be back in the playoffs. 

On the other hand, the magic has long since worn off in New England ... and, to be frank, individually for Elliott. In the end, this was about a Zeke tribute on the Jumbotron and about postgame hugs between old pals. But it wasn't about Elliott helping his new team get anywhere near the level of his old team.