Cowboys vs 49ers: 6 things to know about Week 5 opponent

The Dallas Cowboys got back on track last week with their third blowout win of the season. That victory could boost their confidence heading into their Week 5 matchup with the rival San Francisco 49ers.

It’s a team that has to feel good about themselves coming off a win, especially with the prospects of heading into a game they’ve pinpointed as a measuring stick, so avoiding back-to-back losses was a big deal.

The 49ers are undefeated and one of the best teams in the league heading into Sunday Night Football, while the Cowboys have a chance to prove their mettle. Here are six things to know about the 49ers ahead of the Week 5 matchup.

Have the Cowboys number lately, but not in the regular season

The last two meetings with the 49ers have been memorable because they were playoffs losses, but prior to those matchups the Cowboys had won three straight games between the storied franchises. From 2016-2020, the Cowboys beat San Francisco twice on the road, and once without quarterback Dak Prescott, outscoring them 105-60.

In the last 20 years, the Cowboys have dominated the matchups in the regular season, losing only one time, the 2014 season opener. During that span, the Cowboys are 6-1 against the 49ers.

The meetings in San Francisco have been particularly entertaining. In Dallas’ 2005 win, offensive lineman Larry Allen famously yanked kicker Jose Cortez’s face mask after a missed extra point, in 2008 wide receiver Terrell Owns returned to the Bay Area as a member of the Cowboys and put up 213 yards receiving in a 35-22 victory. The 2011 matchup was the Tony Romo fractured rib game where he found a wide-open Jesse Holley off a play fake for 77-yards, setting up a game-winning field goal in overtime.

Offense is one of the best in the league

The calling card for the 49ers might normally be their defense (more on them later), but the offense has proven to be one of the best in the league as well. The 49ers have scored 30+ points in each of their first four games this season, the only team in the league to accomplish that feat.

San Francisco is putting up just over 31 points a game, good for third in the NFL, while also averaging 398 yards per contest, which is second in the league. As good as the 49ers’ defense is, they haven’t scored yet, meaning all the points scored by the team this season have come from the offense.

It’s also a balanced offense, they’ve thrown 112 passes and run it 132 times. The 49ers love to run the ball and their rushing numbers match the team’s ability to be leading late in games. San Francisco is third in the league in rushing yards per game at 153 yards, while also having a top 10 passing offense, throwing for 245 ypg.

The 49ers have one of the more diverse offenses in the league and has yet to be slowed down.

Christian McCaffrey is a monster

It was a bad sign for the league when the 49ers traded for the All-Pro running back last year. McCaffrey is one of the best RBs in the league and going to one of the best running schemes in the NFL almost seemed unfair. So far this season, McCaffrey is torching defenses.

McCaffrey leads all RBs in the following categories: yards (459), ypg (114.8), rushing scores (6), and first downs (23), while also ranking third in the league in yards per carry (5.7) among runners who have at least 30 carries. Then there’s also the league-leading 80 carries for McCaffrey, seven more than the next rushers.

The eighth-year RB is also dangerous in the passing game, with 18 receptions and one score. McCaffrey is tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns through four weeks with seven, has scored in every game, and is coming off a monster performance with four scores.

Dallas’ defense held McCaffrey in check last year, surrendering just 35 yards on the ground, and they’ll have to do the same thing if they want to win in Week 5.

Elite duo at WR

The 49ers are more than just a running team, they have elite weapons at wide receiver in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. The duo has combined for 567 yards and four total touchdowns thus far.

Aiyuk already has two 100-yard games this season, is averaging over 106 yards receiving a game, good for sixth in the league, while also having the second-best yards per catch at 18.8. Also, despite just playing in three games, Aiyuk is 11th in receiving yards.

Samuel is more of a jack-of-all-trades WR, who will carry the ball as well as catch it, accounting for 301 total yards and two scores on the year.

Both receivers are play makers who excel with the ball in their hands in the open field. The Cowboys’ defense will need to make sure they tackle well in the secondary to ensure that Aiyuk and Samuel don’t run wild on them.

WR duo’s don’t get more dangerous than the tandem in San Francisco.

On right side of the turnover battle

Through four games, the 49ers have turned the ball over only once, during the season-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and taken it away five times, all on interceptions. Last week was the first game in which the 49ers didn’t get a takeaway.

Quarterback Brock Purdy has been exceptional at avoiding turnovers ever since he’s taken over. This year Purdy hasn’t thrown an interception and he’s turned the ball over just four times in 16 starts. Although he’s never lost a fumble, Purdy has fumbled twice this season, but it hasn’t hurt the last player taken in the 2022 draft.

Since last season, the 49ers have the fewest giveaways in the league with 18. The offense doesn’t beat themselves, so it should be interesting to watch the matchup between a defense that is the best in the game at forcing turnovers against an offense that rarely gives it away.

Defense is outstanding

The Cowboys have one of the best defenses in the NFL but the 49ers are one of the few teams who could challenge for them for supremacy. San Francisco’s defensive unit has play makers at every level and elite pass rushers who could make life tough for an offensive line that might not be fully healthy.

It starts upfront with a defensive line that boasts one of the game’s best pass rushers and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa. After leading the NFL in sacks last year Bosa held out for a new deal and was rewarded with the richest defensive deal in league history. Bosa has just one sack on the season but looks like he’s rounding into football shape.

Unfortunately, Bosa isn’t the only pass rusher to worry about. The 49ers’ defensive line also includes talented young edge rusher Drake Jackson and veteran tackle Javon Hargrave, who are tied for the team lead in sacks with three apiece. Add in fellow first-round draft picks Javon Kinlaw and Arik Armstead, and it’s one of the best defensive lines in the league.

At linebacker, the 49ers boast one of the better one-two punches in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Warner is an All-Pro who does a little bit of everything and can make the case that he’s the best LB in the league, while Greenlaw is an underrated LB who continues to get better.

In the secondary, the 49ers have a solid CB in former Cowboy Chavarius Ward, and All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, who can be found all over the field and around the ball. Since the start of the 2022 season, Hufanga has six interceptions, two forced fumbles and two sacks. If there’s a turnover or a big play on the 49ers defense, the likelihood is that Hufanga is nearby.

There is depth and quality for the 49ers all over their defense and they will be a formidable challenge for the Cowboys’ new offense.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire