Watch: Cowboys RB Tony Pollard’s 100-yard kickoff return for a TD

Tony Pollard on course to complete his 100-yard kickoff return for a TD (Screengrab from NFL on CBS)
Tony Pollard on course to complete his 100-yard kickoff return for a TD (Screengrab from NFL on CBS)

Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard made a big play in the third quarter of their Thanksgiving game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pollard took the kickoff at the front end of the end zone then made his move across the middle. After seeing that there was no hole for him to run it into, he ran it down the Cowboys' sidelines and, 100 yards later, found himself in the end zone.

Impact of Pollard’s 100-yard kickoff for a TD

Pollard’s kickoff return for a TD put the Cowboys back in the game, making the score 24-19 after an extra point was missed by kicker Greg Zuerlein. In the 62-year history of the Dallas Cowboys, Pollard scored the longest kickoff return on that play. He became the eighth player in Cowboys history to score a kickoff return for a TD. He joins the likes of former running back Felix Jones, wide receiver Reggie Swinton and Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Renfro. Renfro is a 10-time Pro Bowler who was also an All-Pro who spent his entire 14-year career with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys' fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Memphis has been effective in their top-five offense as well. He has the most rushing yards (531) and a rushing TD this season without starting at running back. He also has 29 receptions for 236 receiving yards. Pollard is also one of four players to have a kickoff return this season, joining wide receiver/cornerback Jamal Agnew of the Jacksonville Jaguars, wide receiver DeAndre Carter of the Washington Football Team and running back Kene Nwangwu of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Cowboys running back is seventh in the league in kickoff return yards with 467 yards and averages 42.5 kickoff return yards a game, putting him in the top 10 in that category. He has played in all eleven of the Cowboys' games this season. Of those eleven games, he had seven games of 10 or more carries. The team has a 6-1 record in those games. Pollard has one game this season with over 100 yards rushing, running for 109 yards and a TD against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road.

Quick Links

Edited by Piyush Bisht