The Dallas Cowboys offer unique challenges for the San Francisco 49ers on Wild Card Weekend.
The San Francisco 49ers used a comeback for the ages in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams to make it to NFL Wild Card Weekend and a clash with an old-school rival, the Dallas Cowboys. Things only get tougher from here as the NFL Playoffs kick into high gear.
The 'Boys won the NFC East handily with a 12-5 record. Former Atlanta Falcons head coach and long-time defensive coach Dan Quinn has the Cowboys playing inspired ball on defense, and the offense can light up the scoreboard. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Cowboys also have legitimate superstars on both sides of the ball.
In a win-or-go-home scenario, these are the biggest keys for the 49ers vs. Cowboys on Sunday (4:30 pm EST on CBS).
49ers offensive line must cancel Micah Parsons
This NFL season ushered in a tremendous wave of outstanding defensive performances around the league. Among them, rookie linebacker Micah Parsons' emergence as a dominant force has been a treat to watch. The dude simply does it all for Dallas, and he's an absolute nightmare as a pass-rusher.
San Francisco did an incredible job for the most part of giving Jimmy Garoppolo time and space in the pocket to deliver quick strikes against the Rams last Sunday. Parsons presents quite a different challenge, though, as his speed and quickness are among the best in the NFL off the edge.
The rookie linebacker finished the season with 84 tackles (64 solo), 13 sacks, three forced fumbles and three passes defensed. Yet his impact goes far beyond the raw numbers. Parsons is a factor the 49ers must account for on every single play.
The Niners certainly have hope that All-World left tackle Trent Williams will play after missing Week 18 with an elbow injury. With or without him, their offensive line will have its hands full with Parsons screaming off the edge.
Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and Co. need a repeat performance
Jimmy Garoppolo, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk were rightfully lauded as key figures in the stunning overtime win against the Rams in Week 18. However, the team's offense wouldn't have even had the chance it did without the exemplary contributions of Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, Arden Key, D.J. Jones, and everyone else on that defensive front.
The Niners also shut down the Rams' run game to the tune of 2.4 yards per carry on 27 attempts.
Dallas has put up 50-burgers in two of its last three games. Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and tight end Dalton Schultz comprise one of the elite quartets the NFL has to offer. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard can take a game over on the ground, thanks to the Cowboys' outstanding offensive line.
You get the picture. If San Francisco's defensive line doesn't dominate this Sunday, things could get out of hand quickly.
49ers must run Cowboys out of their own stadium
No offense intended for Mr. Garoppolo, but I don't want to see the 49ers attempt more passes than runs on Sunday in Arlington. Hopefully the team doesn't experience yet another slow start this weekend. For the offense, that means establishing dominance in the run game early, and often.
Despite featuring one of the NFL's most dangerous pass defenses -- Second-year cornerback Tavon Diggs led the league with 11 interceptions and Dallas led all teams with 34 turnovers forced -- the Cowboys aren't adept at stuffing the run.
This fits what Shanahan wants to do on offense to perfection. A winning formula involves Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel finding early success. A winning formula on Wild Card Weekend involves keeping Dallas' offense off the field as much as possible.
Let's let the hogs run free, shall we? Time to feast, boys.
