The Dallas Cowboys have established themselves as one of the top teams in the NFC early in the season but face their toughest test as they head to San Francisco for another meeting with the 49ers.
Despite Dallas’ regular season success under Mike McCarthy, playing San Francisco could be a challenge as the 49ers have eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs the last two seasons in a row. San Francisco is once again among the top contenders in the NFC, setting up a pivotal matchup Sunday night.
“We know who we’re playing Sunday, and this is a team that, frankly… It’s how our season ended last year,” McCarthy told the media on Wednesday.
“Watching them play, I think they’re playing well,” he said. “Their video is good. Their stats are good. The good thing is we have video of our game last year, which is probably the best video for our team to watch because you still have a lot of the same matchups [and] a lot of the same players, so there’s a lot of carryover.”
Part of that carryover includes a San Francisco offense that is among the best in scoring and features many established and emerging stars, like running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, tight end George Kittle, and last year’s rookie sensation Brock Purdy.
“I think the biggest thing is he totally has command of the offense,” McCarthy said of Purdy. “[We] had a chance to see him play a lot last year. I was very impressed by his instincts, awareness, and ball placement, and this year, he’s playing a notch above what he did last year.”
While the offense is a well-oiled machine, San Francisco’s defense is the unit that has been getting the most praise and attention. Through four games, the 49ers have the league’s fifth-best defense and have produced a top-five defensive team every year since 2018 despite being on its third different defensive coordinator.
The Cowboys have an elite defense of their own, leading the league in takeaways for a third straight season while allowing just 10.3 points per game. However, they have not faced a team as good as San Francisco this season, and Sunday’s game might serve as an excellent barometer for the remainder.
“They’re solid in their personnel. They’re one of the best teams. A win against them would be inspiring, and it would be substantive,” team owner Jerry Jones told Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan earlier this week. “We are going to have to go by them on Sunday, and if we have aspirations, I think we’ll have to go by them later in the year.”
“You don’t need the game to tell you you’re playing the best,” he added, “but you need the game to tell you how you stack up against the best.”
The recent matchups between the 49ers and Cowboys have revived a once vibrant rivalry that endured for three decades in the NFL. The teams met in several NFC Championship games in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, each taking turns as the dominant force and winning five Super Bowls a piece while providing unforgettable moments like “The Catch” in 1982.
Dallas has won six of the last nine matchups but has not beaten San Francisco since 2020, and the 49ers have won the more meaningful games.
Adding to the stakes, according to ESPN, the teams enter Sunday’s game with an even 19-19-1 all-time record, meaning the series lead is up for grabs on Sunday.
The Cowboys (3-1) and 49ers (4-0) will kick off at 7:20 p.m. CT on Sunday.
