Ever since Ezekiel Elliott accepted his six-game suspension, the Dallas Cowboys haven't been the same on offense, but in truth, the reason behind this lack of offensive production is not to do with the running back. It's because of their missing left tackle.

For the past two games, America's Team has had to play without their starting left tackle Tyron Smith, who has been out of action with a back and groin injury. In his absence, it has not been happy days for the Cowboys and their starting quarterback Dak Prescott.

Dallas has lost their last two games badly against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10, and against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11. Prescott has not managed to throw for more than 176 yards in either game nor has he been able to complete a passing touchdown.

In fact, the offense has only managed to score a single offensive touchdown since Smith has been on the sidelines, but that isn't the most alarming statistic that Cowboys fans should be worried about while the left tackle is out of action.

In the eight games the Cowboys played before Smith got injured, the team had only allowed Prescott to be sacked 10 times. However, in the two games which the left tackle has been on the sidelines, their quarterback has been sacked a total 12 times, according to NFL research.

Dallas is currently at least two wins outside of the playoff picture, so they'll be needing Smith to be returning to the field as soon as possible if they want to change their fortunes and make the postseason this year.

They also need Dak to perform better than what he did against the Eagles on Sunday night.

Prescott only managed to complete 18 of his 31 passing attempts for 145 yards, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions in the 37-9 loss against their NFC East rivals. They can't afford many more losses to playoff rivals otherwise they'll miss out on the postseason completely.

The Cowboys will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they host the Los Angeles Chargers at AT&T Stadium on Thursday night for Thanksgiving. If they don't, their season may be pretty much over.