Last year, Elliott rushed for a career-low 979 yards. He averaged a career-low 65.3 yards per game and he gained just 1.9 rushing yards before contact, the lowest in three seasons. Elliott also lost a career-high five fumbles.
He battled calf and hamstring injuries, missing a game due to injury for the first time in his career. Football Outsiders, which provides advanced statistics on NFL players, measured Elliott's DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) in 2020. The number is a value, per play over an average running back in game situations. Elliott had a -1.0%. His backup, Tony Pollard, was plus 13%. Tennessee's Derrick Henry, who led the league in rushing with 2,027 yards, had a 15.5% and Dalvin Cook of Minnesota, second in the league in rushing with 1,557 yards, came in at 15.6%. So whether it was basic statistics or advanced, Elliott's season was below standard.