There are few rivalries in the National Football League better than the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. While there have been a lot of one-sided Cowboys vs 49ers games in recent years, every season is different. That’s especially true heading into this Sunday Night Football matchup between Dallas and San Francisco.
Unfortunately, this game doesn’t feel as impactful as previous seasons. Take a look at both rosters and it’s evident how much both teams are struggling with injuries. Dallas will be without edge rushers Marshawn Kneeland and Demaarcus Lawrence, with Micah Parsons iffy for Week 8. Meanwhile, the 49ers injuries include Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Dre Greenlaw.
Cowboys vs 49ers time: 5:20 PM PDT/8:20 PM EDT on NBC
Related: NFL Week 8 predictions, including Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers
Let’s dive into our Cowboys vs 49ers preview, providing an in-depth look at stats to know and matchups to watch for Sunday’s game.
22.1 percent & 2.9 percent – Dallas Cowboys pressure rate & sack rate last 3 games
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Dallas already had issues defensively this season before injuries struck, largely with stopping the run. The pass defense progressively got worse, especially with cornerback DaRon Bland on injured reserve. Then, when the Cowboys lost Parsons, Lawrence and Kneeland in a one-week span everything fell apart.
San Francisco 49ers offensive line stats (PFF): 73 pressures allowed (8th most in NFL), 3 sacks allowed (second-fewest in NFL), 85.2 Pass Blocking Efficiency (85.2)
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In the past three games, the Cowboys pass rush has become a much bigger issue for defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. While Dallas has the second-highest pressure rate (30.4 percent) across the entire regular season, it’s only generated a 22.1 percent pressure rate (league average) in the last three games. While San Francisco will certainly take a run-heavy approach in this one, Parsons missing another game would be especially costly against Brock Purdy and his ninth-best QB rating when pressured this season.
0.13 – Dallas Cowboys’ Rush EPA Allowed this season (Last in NFL)
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Anyone who watched the Cowboys’ defense last season, especially in the second half, could tell you that Dallas couldn’t stop the run. Opponents, especially those with play-callers who implemented the Shanahan system, feasted on this defensive front. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did nothing to fix the issue this season and sure enough, the Cowboys have an awful run defense.
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San Francisco 49ers rushing offense: 149.9 rushing yards per game (7th), 4.9 yards per carry (8th), 47.96% rushing rate (11th-highest),
Entering NFL games today, Dallas has allowed the third-highest Rush Success rate (46.3 percent) to opponents with the highest Rush EA (0.131) allowed, per RBSDM. The Cowboys have also allowed the second-most rushing touchdowns (10) and the sixth-most rushing yards per game (143.2). 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t have his top pass-catchers, so feeding Jordan Mason (5.2 yards per carry) is the obvious path to success against Dallas.
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101.7 – QB rating allowed when targeted in coverage by 49ers CB Charvarius Ward
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A year ago, Charvarius Ward emerged as one of the best defensive backs in the NFL. The 49ers cornerback earned his first Pro Bowl selection and was named second-team All-Pro. The honors came following a regular season that saw the 6-foot-1 cornerback allow just a 64.5 QB rating when targeted in coverage, per Pro Football Reference and just 6.6 yards per target allowed with a 54.1 percent reception rate.
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Charvarius Ward stats (2024): 1011.7 QB rating allowed, 60 percent reception, 8.7 yards per target
We’re not seeing that same player this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Ward has allowed two games of 60-plus receiving yards when he’s targeted in coverage this season with three quarterbacks posting a 95-plus QB rating against him in coverage. He is also San Francisco’s best cornerback by far. This could be a great opportunity for CeeDee Lamb to rebound, especially if Dallas can protect Dak Prescott.
80 – Brock Purdy’s NFL QB rating when blitzed this year (21st)
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In this past Sunday’s game, the Kansas City Chiefs blitzed Brock Purdy on nearly 30 percent of his dropbacks. He completed 5-of-9 attempts with 1 interception and a 7.7 percent Turnover-Worthy Play rate with a 39.4 QB rating. In week 8, San Francisco faces a Cowboys defense that has the 10th-highest blitz rate (28.9 percent).
Brock Purdy splitsQB RatingCompletion %Interception %vs Blitz80.0 (21st in NFL)62.2% (14th)5.4% (4th highest)Not Blitzed97.2 (10th)64.8% (20th)2.1%
Purdy has not handled the blitz well at all this season and his issues are magnified with McCaffrey already out and now both Samuel and AIyuk missing Week 8. However, Dallas has to be careful with its weakened pass rush. Getting Bland back in the secondary should give Zimmer more confidence to send the blitz, but it’s very difficult for a pass rush to be effective without so much talent. If Dallas can’t get home, even without his top weapons, Purdy will have success.
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