FRISCO -- Ezekiel Elliott skedaddled into the end zone untouched to lift the Cowboys into the lead with less than two minutes left in last month's thriller at Pittsburgh. Tyron Smith, Dallas' slab-of-granite left tackle, made one of several key blocks as the offensive linemen shoved Steelers out of the way.

Smith made it to Elliott first to celebrate. The rookie running back turned and stuck out the ball with his right hand, offering it to Smith.

Smith bear-hugged Elliott instead, scooping the 225-pound back off of his feet. Smith smacked Elliott on the helmet a few times, as the rest of the offensive linemen joined the happy scrum.

"He wanted me to spike it," Smith said with a smile this week. "I didn't want to touch the ball."

Typical.

Dallas' men up front are big on doing, not on talking or flaunting. They mostly leave the dancing to their teammates on the defensive line.

The Cowboys' offensive line is widely regarded as the best in the NFL, with Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer offering up the praise this week ahead of Thursday's night game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The O-line's physicality and execution form the identity of this 10-1 Cowboys team. It's what the Cowboys' brass envisioned when they invested three first-round draft picks in the offensive line, starting with selecting Smith ninth overall in 2011.

Center Travis Frederick followed in 2013 and right guard Zack Martin in 2014. Sensible but unsexy picks at the time, the players have become Pro Bowlers multiple times. Smith's and Frederick's contracts already have been extended for long-term deals.

The Vikings know all too well this season what life is like without a dominant offensive line, something 'Zeke' and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott just can't relate to.

"They might be the core of this whole team, just by their actions," receiver Dez Bryant said. "No words at all. The way they go about their business. It's extremely amazing. They are always together. When they talk, you shut up and you listen. Those guys, they earned their stars."

No communication breakdowns

Pro Football Focus backs up the eye test by ranking the Cowboys as the NFL's top line per its metrics that value run blocking and quarterback protection. Dallas ranks second in the league in rushing with 157.3 yards per game. Holding penalties have been a problem at times, though the Cowboys' offense often overcomes them.

The linemen all point to the same tenets when asked to expound on the reason for their success. In addition to the Pro Bowl talent, they'll tick off setting a standard for their work, communication and closeness.

"I have the advantage of having been a lot of other places -- it's not like this everywhere," backup tackle Emmett Cleary said. "You're talking to some modest guys. ... We have three Pro Bowlers, we have the best, most talented line in the league. But we also work harder and more purposefully than most teams. It's a combination of when skilled, gifted workers really care about it. You're seeing the results on the field."

Left guard La'el Collins is in only his second NFL season and is on injured reserve as he recovers from toe surgery earlier in the season. The Cowboys have moved on seamlessly after plugging Ron Leary back into the starting lineup. Collins said he appreciates watching the line work from his new perspective on the sideline. He learned fast about the work ethic that was expected.

"The expectation level I knew was high before I came here. So I knew it was going to be a lot of hard work," said Collins, who is called "L.C." by his teammates. "Being around these guys showed me how to work and prepare and how to handle my business.

"It's not what you say or all the rah-rah stuff. It's what you do."

Said Leary: "If you don't take to it, you probably won't be here that long."

Right tackle Doug Free, 32, is the veteran of the group as the only lineman over 27. Free, who's been in Dallas since 2007, said he's tried to continue the standard set by those before him, but that all of the linemen have a say.

"The biggest thing is having a group that is willing to communicate and is willing to do whatever it takes to get stuff done," Free said.

The communication is not sugarcoated. Players will critique each other along with position coach Frank Pollack, a former NFL lineman.

"There are things we still need to improve on to be our best," Frederick said. "It starts from the top down. We're always focused on what we're doing now and what's next, continuing to improve.

"As a group we hold ourselves to 'Hey, maybe it's something that I did wrong' and 'I don't know that I did it wrong.' Or 'I don't believe I did it wrong.' Somebody next to me is going to say, 'Hey, you really need to get better in this situation.'"

The communication among the group is not limited to words. Frederick pointed out that the group is close enough to understand Smith, who can be a man of few words, when he grunts on the field.

"Yeah, they do make fun of me for grunting," said Smith, who has been to three straight Pro Bowls and has battled back and hip injuries this season. "The only one who truly understands me is Ron Leary, since he's right next to me."

Said Free: "Any time you play next to a guy awhile, you get to learn different things. Grunts, just even their eyes, you can read eyes. Zack and I have worked on that stuff quite a bit. On the other [left] side, they do a little bit more nonverbal communicating. But it's all relative to getting things done."

The family that eats together...

Dallas Cowboys tackle, Emmett Cleary, from left, Zack Martin, guard, Doug Free, tackle, and Ronald Leary, guard, helps serve early Thanksgiving Day dinners along with other people from the Cowboys organization at the Salvation Army Carr P. Collins Social Service Center, Tuesday, November 14, 2016. (David Woo/The Dallas Morning News) (Staff Photographer)

The closeness is calculated but genuine. The linemen spend time together -- at The Star and away from football. At training camp in Oxnard, Calif., the line always comes out to the field as one group. They eat together. The rest of the team notices.

"Everyone's been here," Martin said. "You just get close when you're spending every single day together for 12 hours, so we're a group that trusts each other and can count on each other on Sundays."

All those hours could be grating, too.

"Luckily, we don't have that problem," Martin said.

While the Cowboys are playing the Vikings on Thursday, it is generally the night the offensive line goes out to dinner.

Here's how it works: You pick, you pay. Every lineman takes a turn, then they start over. Free makes sure it happens every week.

Smith took his teammates to Perry's Steakhouse & Grille and Learyto a place called Hash House A Go Go (no collared shirts required). Other spots have included Del Frisco's Grille, Ruth's Chris Steak House and an Italian spot at Plano's The Shops at Legacy.

The unit makes any restaurateur happy when it arrives. The players dine in a private room and usually put the Thursday night NFL game on the television.

"I love them, they're great," Martin said. "It's good to step away from the facility and the football. We're with each other so much in a football mode, to get outside of that and just kind of relax together is good."

The idea isn't to rack up a big bill for a teammate, since every player's turn will come. However, the players are usually required to weigh in on Thursday mornings, so "some of the guys are a little hungry come dinner time," Cleary said. "We enjoy ourselves."

Still, Collins seems to have found an economical plan.

"You never know where we are, somewhere in Dallas on a Thursday," Collins said. "The big thing is to get a whole bunch of appetizers. We start eating and everybody is getting full, so by the time they look at the menu, they go 'Oh, I'll just go with this [for the entrée].' That's the key."

Earning praise

Rookies Prescott and Elliott offer regular praise for the offensive line.

"They're the heart of the offense," Prescott said. "We go as they go."

In turn, the big guys have been impressed by Prescott's poise and the toughness of Elliott, who leads the league in rushing.

"Zeke's a little bit of a funny cat," said Free of the running back who pantomimes shoving food into his mouth in a "feed me" motion after big runs.

"He's definitely interesting. He cares. He plays hard -- that's the biggest thing we love about him. He runs hard, he's reliable. He's definitely taken some licks this year and kept on ticking."

Defensive tackle Cedric Thornton, in his first year in Dallas since leaving the Philadelphia Eagles, credits the offensive line for making him better in practice -- even on days he doesn't feel like being tested by the best.

Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said the group doesn't take a step back and gets better game by game.

The high standard is noted. But the offensive line insists it must be earned every game, starting Thursday night against a Vikings defense that ranks among the league's best.

"It's really easy to show flash and ability," tight end Jason Witten said. "I mean, to see Tyron lock a guy up like he does and just throw him like he's playing in the Little League -- that can wow you.

"But I think what wows you the most is their ability to do it day in, day out. The beauty of it is, they're not really doing anything out of the ordinary. They're just playing football and they do it consistently, regardless of the matchup."

Twitter: @khairopoulos

Cowboys starting offensive line