The Dallas Cowboys are set to take on the San Francisco 49ers in a Sunday Night Football game that will have major implications for both teams looking to fight back into the playoff picture.
Dallas is coming off an embarrassing 49-7 loss against the Detroit Lions in Week 6 before their bye week and is now looking to bounce back with a win against one of the best teams in the NFC.
San Francisco has won the last three matchups between these two teams, including two playoff wins during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The Cowboys will be without multiple key defensive players who were hoping to be on the field. Cornerback Daron Bland and linebacker Micah Parsons have been ruled out for the matchup.
Dallas has also made a significant change in the running back position by elevating Dalvin Cook for the first time this year after he was signed to the practice squad in the offseason.
Cook will join a group of running backs who have been lackluster to begin the year, with the Cowboys ranked amongst the worst in the league to begin the season.
Dallas has managed to accumulate a league-low 463 rushing yards and two touchdowns while also being the only team in the league without a rush of 20 or more yards through the first seven weeks of the year.
The Cowboys are currently just 3-3 on the season entering this matchup and are third place in the NFC East division, meaning a loss in Week 8 could create even more unrest about whether this team can make a run to the playoffs.
Although defeating the 49ers would not put the Cowboys in first place in the division, it would put them within striking distance with five divisional matchups remaining.
San Francisco’s record is similar. It is also 3-3 and sits in fourth place in the NFC West division, though a win against Dallas and a loss by the Seattle Seahawks could move it back into first place.
