The Cowboys and 49ers share one of the most historic rivalries in the NFL, especially when it comes to the postseason matchups. As for regular-season games, there have been some memorable moments along the way, but here recently, San Francisco has had the upper hand. And heading into this week's game, the 49ers are the favorites, owning the best record in the NFC and coming to town to face a Cowboys squad searching for consistency.
If the Cowboys have shown us anything this year, they can make sure the game is entertaining. But will they have enough against the red-hot 49ers? Here are some key storylines for the Cowboys and 49ers heading into Sunday's game.
49ers
Best in the NFL? – The 49ers have the best record of any team in the NFC at 7-1, which is tied with the Bills for the best overall record in the NFL. San Francisco has taken advantage of a home-dominated early schedule to get off to the hot start. The 49ers are 5-0 at home and have only played two true road games so far. Sunday's game in Dallas will be just the third road game of the season for the 49ers, who are coming off a 35-17 win over the Raiders, getting back on track after dropping a game to the Falcons in Atlanta two weeks ago for their only blemish on the schedule.
Trade Tables – The 49ers got some help in the trade market a few weeks ago by landing Deforest Buckner in a trade from the Colts, reuniting their former defensive tackle back to the Bay Area. On Tuesday, the 49ers also added a receiver to the team, trading for veteran Keenan Allen with the Colts. Allen will now play the Cowboys in back-to-back weeks. Last Sunday in Indy, Allen had just four catches for 26 yards.
Purdy-Good Offense – While Christian McCaffrey is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic players in all of football, the 49ers are led by quarterback Brock Purdy, who is one of the most efficient signal-callers we've seen in recent years. Purdy is third in the NFL in QB rating at 109.8 with a 17-5 touchdown to interception ratio. The 49ers also rank third in the league in scoring at 29.4 points per game, and if the ball gets inside the 20, you can probably mark it up as a touchdown. The 49ers lead the NFL in red-zone efficiency at 84.6 touchdown rate.
Unique Ayiuk situation – While this probably won't have any effect on the game Sunday, one of the big storylines surrounding the 49ers is the Brandon Aiyuk situation. Earlier this week, the NFL reinstated Aiyuk from the reserve/left squad list after a two-year absence, stemming from an injury and financial dispute. The wide receiver is still part of the 49ers organization for now but head coach Kyle Shanahan has repeated said Aiyuk's situation is separate from the team and a non-issue, despite the team's lack of depth at receiver.
Injury issues – The 49ers have dealt with many injuries this year, especially at receiver with Deebo Samuel (hamstring) hopeful to return and Mike Evans still dealing with an Achilles strain. Most recently, defensive tackle Gracen Holton is now out for the season with a fractured ankle he sustained last week against the Raiders.
Cowboys
Back & forth – The Cowboys have yet to find consistency this year – evident by a 4-5 record that suggests their inconsistency is the one thing we can count on. The last two weeks, the Cowboys have lost double-digit leads in the second half. While losing to Arizona two weeks ago was a surprise, the Cowboys found a way to escape the Colts game with a last-minute comeback and 27-23 win. Of the nine games, the Cowboys have played this year, only two opponents currently have a winning record and Dallas lost both games – an 8-point loss to the Giants and 10-point loss to the Packers, both on the road.
Trade deadline – The Cowboys decided not to make a trade before the deadline on Tuesday. The team only has four current draft picks for next year, so they were running out of draft picks to use for trades. One of the reasons for that is because of the moves they've already made. No, there wasn't a trade at the deadline, but the Cowboys have made a few already in this league year, adding players such as Rashaan Gary, Dee Winters and Joey Porter Jr., and moving up in the draft to acquire Caleb Downs. So the Cowboys have been rather active this year with trades, just not at the deadline. They also decided against becoming "sellers" and moving key players, including George Pickens, who had been speculated as a possible trade target for other teams. Now, this wasn't a trade, but the Cowboys had a visit with Kendre Miller, a free-agent running back who was recently cut by the Saints. Miller, a third-round pick from TCU in 2023, would likely replace No. 2 back Tyler Goodson, who will miss some time with a knee injury.
Defense getting better? – Every week, it seems as if the defense is making steady progress. It's far from perfect, but the turnovers continue to occur, along with the sacks. Caleb Downs was involved with both, becoming the first rookie in 39 years to record a sack and interception in the same game. Also, the Cowboys were able to win a game without scoring over 30 points for the first time this year. And along with Downs, a key impact players has been Quinnen Williams, who leads the NFL in tackles for loss with 14.
Injuries piling up again– The Cowboys have dealt with a heavy dose of injuries here lately, on both sides of the ball. The most concerning, or frustrating, has been the ankle/foot setback for Joey Porter Jr. The Cowboys just haven't been able to get him on the field at a consistent level. Porter Jr. has missed two full games and half of another since arriving six weeks ago. The Cowboys are dealing with nagging injuries to George Pickens and DeMarvion Overshown and will likely be without Jake Ferguson, Tyler Goodson and P.J. Locke for multiple weeks.
Lamb on fire – While the thought all year has been that NFL teams are worried about George Pickens' playmaking ability and it's opening the door for CeeDee Lamb. That could be true, but Lamb showed us last week he could have a huge day without Pickens on the other side. Lamb had a 10-catch, 195-yard performance with a touchdown, and it still wasn't a great day, considering he lost a fumble, had two offensive P.I. calls and failed to get his feet down for a would-be touchdown. Still, Lamb ranks second in the NFL in catches, just one reception behind Seattle's Jaxson Smith-Njigba (71).
