ARLINGTON, Texas -- It is possible that Ezekiel Elliott has played his last game for the Dallas Cowboys until Thanksgiving.
On Monday, the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals could make an immediate ruling on the NFL's request for a stay of the injunction that is keeping Elliott on the field, but the belief is that it would be made within two weeks, according to a league source.
Asked after Sunday's 35-30 loss to the Los Angeles Rams if he would head to New Orleans for the hearing, Elliott was not sure. The Cowboys are off Monday. He attended the injunction hearing in Sherman, Texas, before the season started.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones was unsure whether Elliott would be available next week against the Green Bay Packers.
"I know we are down to where it's in the hands of the appellate group of judges," Jones said, "and I wouldn't dare speculate."
The running back will be eligible to play until the court decides that District Court Judge Amos Mazzant had the right to hear Elliott's appeal -- or dismisses the lawsuit altogether.
There are three potential outcomes from Monday's hearing:
• The Court of Appeals could rule that the district court lacked authority to hear the case and rule to vacate the injunction and dismiss the lawsuit, in which case the suspension would take effect immediately, though Elliott would likely file a temporary restraining order.
• It could vacate the injunction based on the merits of the case, believing that the district court overreached when reviewing the decision, particularly with how the courts ruled in favor of the league in the Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson cases.
• The court could deny the stay, which likely would mean that Elliott would be able to play the full season, with the legal battle to play out for the 2018 season.
If the NFL earns the stay, Elliott would not return until Thanksgiving against the Los Angeles Chargers.
"We've got confidence in our running backs," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said. "Certainly you'd miss a guy like Zeke, just his mentality and how he plays the game and he's such a dynamic back, but our team seems to handle those things really well. Good leadership, top to bottom. We'll adjust with it and keep on going. But hopefully it all gets worked out."
Elliott had the sixth two-touchdown game of his career Sunday. He finished with 85 yards rushing on 21 carries and caught four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. It was closer to the Elliott of 2016.
On his second-quarter touchdown catch, he ran through a tackle by Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree and took a hit from linebacker Mark Barron on the goal line. On Elliott's 1-yard run, he bulled his way through the middle of the Rams' defense.
"What I did today really isn't important," Elliott said. "What's important is team wins, and I don't care how many touchdowns or whatever the stats were. We just want to go out there and get wins, and we weren't able to do that today."