No glamour on this Cowboys-Niners matchup, but it’s still important

The Dallas Cowboys (2-3) return to action after their bye week with a road trip to winless San Francisco (0-6).

The all-time series is tied 17-17-1.

The Niners have been competitive despite their record. Five of their six losses have been close, including two in overtime. San Francisco also has some positive numbers that must be accounted for:

▪ San Francisco has forced opponents into 19 rushes that resulted in negative yardage (non-kneel downs).

▪ Punter Bradley Pinion has been key in flipping the field with 15 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, most in the NFL.

▪ Rookie tight end George Kittle has 11 combined receptions in the past two games.

Here are five storylines to watch:

Zeke attack

Ezekiel Elliott found himself on the suspension list briefly, but the star running back is back on the field as his legal fight with the NFL drags on. Elliott and the Cowboys’ rushing attack looked like the 2016 version in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers, and must carry that into this week. Elliott rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries at San Francisco last season.

Air it out

San Francisco has one of the worst pass defenses in the league. They rank 27th out of 32 teams, allowing an average of 262.3 yards per game. Will it lead to Dak Prescott’s first 300-yard passing game of the season? It might, particularly if the 49ers focus more on stopping Elliott.

Takeaway, please

Any coach, starting with Jason Garrett, will tell you the importance of the turnover battle. The Cowboys have struggled in that department, and the defense hasn’t forced a takeaway in three consecutive games. That must change. Facing a rookie quarterback (C.J. Beathard) making his first NFL start should bode well for this unit.

The Sack Man

DeMarcus Lawrence is playing well in his contract year, leading the league with 8.5 sacks. He’s registered at least one sack in every game so far and has no intention of slowing down. But if he does get more attention, Lawrence said: “I got a hell of a D-line. They double-team me, you know, Maliek [Collins], Dino [David Irving], Ty [Crawford], Taco [Charlton], Ben [Mayowa], somebody is going to get them.”

National anthem

The protests during the national anthem continue to be a national storyline, and it all started last preseason with former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Expect a handful of 49ers to continue this week, especially after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced he’d bench any player who protests during the song. For their part, all Cowboys players are expected to stand, although David Irving hinted that he might have something planned. As Lawrence put it, “We’ve been standing, right? So what’s going to change now?”

This story was originally published October 21, 2017 at 12:33 PM with the headline "No glamour on this Cowboys-Niners matchup, but it’s still important."