6 things to know about the challenge 49ers present the Cowboys

The rivalry will be renewed when the Dallas Cowboys play the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The teams last played in last year’s wild-card round the Cowboys lost at home. It was crushing loss for Dallas in not just that they lost in the opening round, but how they looked discombobulated for much of the game. Losing in the postseason is always a gut punch but falling to the 49ers made it a tougher pill to swallow.

The final play will go down as one of the more controversial calls in recent memory. The Cowboys battled back from being down all game, only to miss out on a final chance at the win while trying to get a final try off. The Cowboys can exact some measure of revenge by going into San Francisco and returning the favor. Here are six things to know about the divisional matchup.

The 49ers are riding a hot streak

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The 49ers are the hottest team in the NFL, currently on an 11-game winning streak, longest in the NFL this season, that includes their playoff victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Their last loss came in Week 7 to the Kansas City, which was a week before Halloween. At the time of the loss, the 49ers were 3-4 on the year.

Since then, the 49ers haven’t skipped after losing backup quarterback Jimmy Garopolo. The turnaround has been led by the defense, who have only allowed two opponents to score 20 or more points during the win streak.

However, in winning 11 straight, the 49ers have only beaten three teams with a winning percentage of over .500.

Despite beating some bad teams, there is no doubt about San Francisco’s legitimacy as one of the best teams in the NFL. Winning double-digit games in a row is a rare feat in a league built on competitive balance.

Third-string QB is running things

The 49ers have had an unusual quarterback saga this season. They began the season with second-year QB Trey Lance at the helm, but he was hurt in the second week, turning San Francisco’s offense back over to veteran Garoppolo.

Garoppolo, who was expected to be traded in the offseason, came in and started 10 straight games. The 49ers went 7-3 in those starts and were riding a five-game winning streak when Garoppolo went down with an injury and forced the team to look to rookie quarterback Brock Purdy.

Purdy hasn’t lost a game and has led the team to six-straight wins. As the NFL’s Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 draft, Purdy’s proven to be much better than a seventh-round selection.

He sports a 67.1% completion percentage while throwing for 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions. Against the Seahawks in the wild card, Purdy might have had his best outing, throwing for a career-high 332 yards, three scores, and rushing for a touchdown as well.

Their rushing game is elite

(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)

The 49ers have one of the best rushing schemes in the league led by head coach Kyle Shanahan. It’s a top-notch system that also has some ridiculously talent backs.

Former first-round pick Christian McCaffrey sits on top of the depth chart and had over 1,100 yards on the season, including 746 yards and six scores with the 49ers in 11 games after they traded for his services.

The starter coming into the season, RB Elijah Mitchell has been on and off the injured list all year but is back healthy. Mitchell averages 6.2 yards a carry and has some fresh legs to attack after playing in just six games this season.

Of course, the Cowboys will also have to deal with the 49ers using wide receiver Deebo Samuel as a runner. Samuel ran for 72 yards and a touchdown in last season’s playoff game, so the defense will need to be prepared for him to line up in the backfield again.

Pass rush is scary

The Cowboys tied for the third-most sacks in the league this season with 54, which is 10 more than the 49ers. However, the 49ers have a scary pass rush that employs one of the game’s best edge rushers.

Defensive end Nick Bosa led the NFL in sacks with 18.5 and is expected to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Bosa has 34 sacks over the past two years, cementing his name near the top of the list of the toughest players to keep away from the quarterback.

Bosa didn’t get a sack last week, which is a bad sign for the Cowboys since he hasn’t gone back-to-back weeks without a sack all season long.

Defensive ends Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu combined for 9.5 sacks to pitch in, but the 49ers get contributions from everywhere on defense. Defensive tackle Arik Armstead didn’t have a sack during the season but got one against the Seahawks in the wild card game and has 28.5 in his career.

It’s a disruptive front for the 49ers and the Cowboys need to make sure that Bosa and Co. don’t ruin the game.

Great receiving trio

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

There aren’t many teams in the league that have an elite trio of receiving weapons like the 49ers. Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are a dynamic duo at wide receiver, while George Kittle is among the best in the game at tight end.

The trio combined for 2,412 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns, despite Samuel missing four games and Kittle missing two. With the 49ers being more of a running team, those are top-tier numbers from a group that produces when their numbers are called.

Aiyuk led the offense with 78 catches and 1,015 yards receiving, while Kittle led the team with 11 scores.

Add in McCaffrey’s receiver-like production out of the backfield (746 receiving yards, five more scores) and it’s really a four-headed monster.

It’s a dangerous group that excels when they have the ball in their hands. Kittle was tied for the NFL lead in yards per catch for a tight end (min. 40 catches) at 12.8 yards because he has the athletic ability to make defenders miss in the open field. Aiyuk and Samuel also thrive in run after the catch situations and are a danger to score every time they touch the ball. In the win over the Seahawks, Samuel took a short crossing pattern and raced 74-yards for the touchdown.

Defense is tops in the league

(Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

It’s no secret what the Cowboys want to do on offense, they like to run the ball and then find their spots to pick apart defenses with the passing game. The first part will be a real challenge against the 49ers.

San Francisco’s run defense was one of only three defenses to allow under 100-yards rushing on the season, giving up just 77.7 yards on the ground. Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans’ defense did not yield a 100-yard rusher all season long and gave up just 3.4 yards a carry, tied for tops in the league.

The 49ers were a little more generous against the pass, giving up close to 223 yards a game through the air.

Overall, the 49ers allowed the least number of total yards per game (300.6), and had the best scoring defense in the league (16.3). Since returning from injury, the Cowboys’ offense under Dak Prescott has been among the best in the league, and they’ll get a challenge from the 49ers.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire