The Cowboys moved to 4-5 with a dramatic 27-23 win over Indianapolis and now return home for one of their toughest tests of the season. San Francisco is 7-1, but Dallas enters Sunday having won two of its last three and is coming off a very productive offensive yardage performance.
Sure, the Dallas offense had issues scoring which was hampered by penalties and two critical turnovers, but they still produced 508 total yards.
Dallas outgained the Colts 508-271 yards on offense, producing 329 passing
yards and another 179 on the ground. The Cowboys averaged 7.2 yards every time they snapped the football.
CeeDee Lamb was almost unstoppable in Indianapolis. He caught 10 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, his second-highest receiving total in an NFL game. He now has 904 yards and seven touchdowns this season. San Francisco also left its latest game with cornerbacks Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir both day-to-day with injuries. If either is limited, Prescott should waste no time looking toward Lamb.
Javonte Williams also reached the century mark against Indianapolis, carrying 20 times for 101 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He now has 629 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns this season.
Keeping that balance is crucial against the 49ers. It slows down the pass rush and prevents San Francisco from simply attacking Prescott every down.
On the 49ers defense, Nick Bosa returned against Las Vegas, while DeForest Buckner made his return to San Francisco. Yet the 49ers finished the game with zero sacks. San Francisco have only 15 sacks entering that game, which is fourth-fewest in the NFL. The 49ers have dangerous names up front, but Dallas has reason to believe Prescott can be protected.
As for San Francisco’s offense, it’s dealing with a major injury problem. Christian Kirk has been placed on injured reserve. Mike Evans is not expected to be ready for this week, while Deebo Samuel is only expected to return to practice Wednesday after missing time with a hamstring injury.
That doesn’t mean San Francisco lacks weapons. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle remain major problems. But taking established receivers away from Brock Purdy makes the job easier for a Dallas secondary that has struggled this season.
If Dallas wants to beat San Francisco, slowing McCaffrey has to be near the top of the list. The encouraging part is what happened last Sunday. Jonathan Taylor entered the game as Indianapolis’ biggest offensive weapon. Dallas held him to just 46 rushing yards. That was one of the Cowboys’ best run-defense performances of the season.
McCaffrey presents a different challenge because of his receiving ability, but Dallas has at least shown it can stop a high-level running back from controlling a game.
So sticking with the Cowboys defense, Quinnen Williams forced a fumble last week, and rookie safety Caleb Downs grabbed his first NFL interception to seal the victory in the final minute. That comes after the defense produced five sacks and two takeaways against Arizona.
The 49ers are the heavy favorite, but the Cowboys have weapons that give the team at least a puncher’s chance.
