Cowboys Aim to Corral 49ers Sunday
The 49ers vs. the Cowboys is arguably the greatest postseason rivalry in the NFL.
The 49ers and Cowboys have one of the most iconic rivalries in the NFL, and their postseason meetings have always been particularly memorable. The Cowboys have knocked the 49ers out of the playoffs five times: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1992 and 1993. The 49ers have knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs four times: 1981, 1994, 2021 and 2022. The Cowboys won three of their five Super Bowls after eliminating the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The 49ers won two of their five Super Bowls -tied for second most in the NFL- after eliminating the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game.
Dwight Clark's "The Catch" in the 1981 NFC Championship Game is widely considered to be the most iconic image in the history of the NFL. The two teams are tied 19-19-1 in their overall record.
This year's game is setup to possibly be the best game of the entire 2023 NFL season.
NFL games are won and lost in the trenches. The Cowboys may have the best trench players in the NFL on both sides of the ball. Along with the Eagles and the Lions, their offensive line is widely considered to be one of the best. This will be the first time that all five of their starters: Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin and Terence Steele have ever played together, which is a scary thought. Literally no one knows how great this group can be. The Cowboys defensive line which features Micah Parsons is one of the best pass rushers in football. Demarcus Lawrence has been a dominant edge player for many years.
The 49ers will need to run the ball effectively if they want success on Sunday night. The right side of 49ers' offensive line can't protect Brock Purdy, if he is forced to drop back often.
Besides the offensive line, the 49ers' biggest weak spot is on defense. CeeDee Lamb is a big mismatch vs. nickel cornerback Isaiah Oliver. In nickel package, Deommodore Lenoir shifts from boundary cornerback to nickel cornerback. However, Ambry Thomas is vulnerable at boundary cornerback in this configuration.
The Cowboys have areas to exploit as well. Inside linebacker is one position group that Kyle Shanahan can make look bad. He loves to put linebackers in conflict, by making them cover running backs out in space lined up in the slot. It doesn't help that Damone Clark has been limited with a shoulder injury and safety Malik Hooker has been limited with a shoulder injury as well.
Tony Pollard is a very explosive dual threat running back, but at 209 pounds he has yet to prove that he can hold up to the punishment of being a featured running back. Under Steve Wilks, the 49ers play off ball, makes teams take many plays and lots of punishment in order to score.
The Cowboys lost tight end Dalton Schultz to the Texans during last offseason. The 49ers would be more likely to be able to capitalize on this, if they had not lost safety Jimmie Ward to the Texans themselves. He had been their tight end and large slot receiver eraser since 2019.
This season, Dak Prescott has thrown four interception-worthy passes, with one picked off this season. Purdy has thrown four interception-worthy passes, with zero picked off. I predict that both quarterbacks will throw one interception on Sunday night, but Purdy will make better decisions under pressure.
The Cowboys will not be able to corral the 49ers this Sunday night. It will be a close and hard fought battle and the 49ers will win.
My official score prediction: 49ers 24, Cowboys 21.
