Nick Harris: Five things to watch when Cowboys take on 49ers on Sunday night
For the last three seasons, the San Francisco 49ers have emerged as the elusive boogeyman for the Dallas Cowboys after two playoff losses in 2021 and 2022 along with a 42-10 drubbing in Santa Clara in 2023.
This season, the Cowboys will get another shot on a trip to the west coast where they will look to get back in the win column against a team that is also dealing with injuries on both sides of the ball early in the year.
For a rivalry that dates back to 1960 when the Cowboys first fielded a team in the NFL, it’s been the 49ers that have had the upper hand on recent occasions. Can Dallas find its way back over .500 with a win over an elusive opponent? Here are the things to watch that could determine the outcome.
Purdy Pressure
It’s been an up-and-down start to the season for 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, as he has dealt with injuries to his receiving corps and his offensive line, making for a difficult connection between him and his pass-catchers.
As a result, rhythm and timing has been tough to find more than 15 yards downfield, as only tight end George Kittle has proven to be a legitimate threat in that area in recent games. With Kittle’s status up in the air with a foot sprain and wide receiver Deebo Samuel dealing with pneumonia, the health of Purdy’s weapons will only be challenged that much more on Sunday night.
With or without Kittle and Samuel, one area that Purdy has not been able to find success in regardless of who is on the other end of his passes has been operating under pressure. Through seven games, Purdy has a -17.5 EPA (expected points added) when facing pressure and a 43.7 EPA when not under pressure – a whopping 60.2 point differential.
“We got to get them into more third downs,” head coach Mike McCarthy said about generating pressure on San Francisco. “Obviously, we want to be six-plus with the challenge on first and second down. That’s going to be a huge challenge. This team, the 49ers, is one of the best on first and second down offenses out there. Our ability to win first and second down will be huge Sunday night.”
Despite the Cowboys still looking to find ways to generate pressure without star defensive ends Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, an opportunity could present itself on Sunday against a San Francisco offensive line that has allowed 74 pressures (10.6 per game) this season.
Tackle, Tackle, Tackle
Even without perennial All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey so far this season, previously unknown running back Jordan Mason has firmly placed himself on the list of elite runners early in the season with his explosive plays and ability to consistently break tackles.
Entering week seven, Mason’s 53 forced missed tackles and 390 rushing yards after contact lead the NFL, as it has led to the second-year back out of Georgia Tech accounting for a rush of at least 20 yards in all but one game this season.
On the other hand, the Cowboys defense has missed a tackle on 15.8-percent of its opportunities, the most in the NFL. Against a runner that takes more than the initial contact to bring down, the Dallas defensive unit will need to find some rhythm in the tackling department coming out of the bye or it could be yet another long night against a talented runner.
“Take an extra step,” linebacker DeMarvion Overshown said about the message in tackling. “It was something we were working on in practice [this week]. When you think you’re there, take another one. This is a guy that will break arm tackles. It’s one reason why we have to get everybody to the ball. He’s good after contact, and we feel good about our chances if we limit the [yards] after catch and contact.”
Time to Cook?
Is this the week we see practice squad running back Dalvin Cook? Sources are indicating that there is a better chance, as the Cowboys look to throw a spark into their league-worst running game that has accounted for just 463 yards in six games.
In order to elevate Cook off the practice squad, the Cowboys coaching staff will need to find a player to take off the gameday roster. Could that be Ezekiel Elliott who has yet to accumulate more than 20 rushing yards since week one and has seen his touches fall comfortably behind Rico Dowdle.
Despite a career-worst season for the New York Jets last season, Cook is only two years removed from a 1,000-yard Pro Bowl season in 2022 for the Minnesota Vikings. If he can find only half of that production for the Cowboys, he’d be the best rushing option in the backfield for Dak Prescott over the final 11 games.
Both Sides Banged Up
As mentioned earlier, both teams will be dealing with key injuries on both sides of the ball going into Sunday.
San Francisco will be without star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk after he tore his ACL last week and linebacker Dre Greenlaw who continues to recover from a torn achilles in the Super Bowl last season. Additionally, tight end George Kittle (foot), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (pneumonia) and wide receiver Jauan Jennings (hip) are all being monitored for injuries this week.
While the bye week allowed the Cowboys to get healthier, they are still expected to be without defensive end Micah Parsons (ankle). Cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) is trending in the wrong direction toward availability as well as he awaits his season debut. They are expected to get linebacker Eric Kendricks (shoulder), cornerback Caelen Carson (shoulder) and offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (knee) back for Sunday night’s matchup.
“Well, there’s always a threshold of return to play,” head coach Mike McCarthy said about Parsons. “He’s not over that threshold yet. Until he can get out there and cut it loose, I think when you have veteran players, the general [rule] is if they don’t practice on Saturday they’re not going to play in the game. If you’re looking for a finish line, it would be full participant player in Saturday’s practice.”
Red Zone Opportunities
One of the focal points for the Cowboys during the bye week was finding ways to be more effective offensively in the red zone after the first six games saw Dak Prescott and his offense score touchdowns on just 37.5-percent of its opportunities – the second-worst clip in the NFL entering week eight.
Well, the 49ers defense hasn’t been much better as they allow touchdowns on 60.87-percent of its red zone opportunities – the 10th-worst in the league entering week eight.
“We just gotta get in the end zone,” receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “Obviously, we get to the red zone very well. We have to capitalize on third downs, eliminate penalties, stay above the sticks. I feel like if we do that, we’ll be successful.”
