FRISCO, Texas – The 42nd chapter of the Cowboys-49ers rivalry on Sunday marks one of the bigger regular season matchups for Dallas in terms of what a win could do for them to start the back half of the season.
Sure, the Cowboys would still be sitting at just 5-5 with a victory on Sunday, and would still have plenty of work to do (and need some help) with the 5-3-1 Giants atop the NFC East. But could it spark a second-half of the season run like Dallas had in 2018?
It all sounds good, but the 7-1 49ers have been the best team in the NFC all year up to this point and will not be an easy opponent by any means.
Let's take a look at what'll have to go right for the Cowboys if they want to get to .500 on Sunday:
Forcing Brock Purdy into tough decisions
In the 49ers' lone loss this season to the Atlanta Falcons, QB Brock Purdy threw two of his five interceptions on the season and just have. An off day. If the Cowboys want to gain a significant advantage in this game, forcing turnovers becomes more important than it usually is across any game that you play in.
Dallas hasn't hidden the fact that they still lean on their offense to go and win them games. Getting Dak Prescott and company more opportunities to find points is the biggest key to victory in this one. That starts with getting Purdy off of his game and making him uncomfortable in the pocket, and the best way to do that is forcing interior pressure.
The good news is Dallas has Quinnen Williams, who has been one of the best interior pass rushers in the league for the last few weeks. The 49ers offensive line has allowed Purdy to be sacked just 8 times this season, and he's one of five QBs in the NFL averaging more than 3 seconds to throw. Williams will need to change that and get around Purdy early and often to find the big plays he's accustomed to making the last few weeks, and allow a banged up Dallas defense to have chances to give the ball back to their offense.
49ers' ability to spread the field
One element of the 49ers offense that makes them difficult to defend is how often they send five receivers downfield. It happens on 65.3% of their dropbacks, the highest rate in the NFL. Against a Cowboys secondary that is thin at safety and banged up at cornerback as well, that could end up being troublesome for Dallas.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer referred to some of San Francisco's offensive pieces like TE George Kittle, RB Christian McCaffrey and FB Kyle Juszczyk less by their positions, but more as "weapons" for the offense, and they're all threats when going downfield, especially Kittle and McCaffrey. With injuries at safety, rookie DB Caleb Downs will likely play some on top of the defense, but his role in the nickel against players like Kittle and McCaffrey may be even more important in this game as they look to work the middle of the field.
Maybe the most important element for defending the 49ers offense is eye discipline. San Francisco utilizes a lot of motion, and some unorthodox motion too, which means Downs' role as a communicator is amplified in terms of importance. The good news is that's one of the premiere reasons Dallas drafted him 11th overall. Coming off maybe the best game of his young career, can Downs stack another strong performance this week? It would go a long way.
Run the ball, control the clock
I know I'm not breaking any news here, but running the football and winning the time of possession battle a crucial part of this game. I think the added importance of it is how much of a statement it would be for Dallas if they're able to do both, as the 49ers defense is second in the NFL in rushing defense, only allowing 80.9 rushing yards per game.
San Francisco has played 18 defensive linemen this season, the most in the NFL. That's a ton of injuries and movement up front, but the constant has been at the linebacker level with Fred Warner. He's playing closer to the line of scrimmage than ever before in his career, with an average of 3.6 yards off the line of scrimmage at each snap this season. Him paired with Dre Greenlaw at linebacker do an excellent job of filling gaps and flying around to make plays in the run game.
If Dallas' offensive line can get some thump up front against a foe they're familiar with in former Cowboy Osa Odighizuwa as well as veteran DeForest Buckner, and then climb to the second level to take Warner and Greenlaw out of the game as much as they can, it would be a huge afternoon for the Cowboys offense. Dallas expects this to be a physical game, and if they're the more physical team, they've got a chance.
