49ers must avoid these pitfalls in Wild-Card clash with Cowboys
Jesse Reed • January 13, 2022
What could doom the 49ers to failure against the Cowboys?
It's been far too long since the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys battled in the NFL playoffs. This Sunday, the rivalry continues in full force on Wild Card Weekend.
Earlier this week, we took a look at a few majorkeys to victory for the 49ers. Speaking of which, many working in NFL media right now are picking the Niners to win (including a legendary former Cowboys receiver, who appears to be scared out of his mind at the matchup).
Now it's time to delve into the darker side of potential outcomes. Here's a look at what the Niners absolutely cannot do against the Cowboys this Sunday.
Offense cannot start slow against Cowboys
How many times have we watched the 49ers come out of the gates stumbling and bumbling as if they were still in preseason? Way too many, if you ask me.
It's got to stop. Like, yesterday.
First of all, my heart can't take too many more nail-biters. Secondly, every time the offense takes a half to finally find itself, the odds of a comeback decrease. I worry the magic might have been all used up in Sunday's legendary comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Finally, the Cowboys simply have too many explosive weapons on offense to keep asking the defense to pick up the slack. It starts with establishing the run game early -- something that has not been easy of late.
Niners' WRs can't be dropping passes
Deebo Samuel's 2021 NFL campaign is one of the most remarkable things I've ever witnessed in football. His versatility, toughness and skill were a huge reason the 49ers are in the playoffs this season. Samuel isn't perfect, however. Despitejaw-dropping statshe dropped 10 passes, and some came in bad situations that hurt the 49ers.
Deebo Samuel now leads the NFL with 10 drops. For as great as he's been, that's been the one issue with his game this year and it helped kill that 49ers drive
Deebo isn't the only receiver with a penchant for developing butterfingers, either. Jauan Jenning and Brandon Aiyuk have combined for nine drops this season.
Most people expect Kyle Shanahan to dial up the run game in a big way to take advantage of a big Cowboys weakness. I do as well. Yet when it's time to convert those third downs, the Niners must bring in those tough catches, whether they're right on the money or not.
No defensive PI, please
It's no secret that the 49ers have been atrocious all season long at defending the long pass. Sure, things have improved recently with the emergence of Ambry Thomas and the return of Emmanuel Moseley. The second half of last weekend's game was gorgeous as the defensive line took the game over and rattled Matthew Stafford in a big way.
This is still the same team that racked up 20 defensive pass interference penalty calls on the season, 17 of which were accepted. The next-worst team in the league this season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had 14 called against them all year.
Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb can both attack vertically. Both are also incredible route-runners who can shred after the catch on short passes. San Francisco's cornerbacks will be tested in a huge way. Whether they pass or fail will have a huge bearing on the outcome of Sunday's playoff game.
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