Following the Dallas Cowboys' 38-3 smackdown of the New England Patriots in Week 4 that ran their record to 3-1 in 2023, the page quickly turned to their Week 5 "Sunday Night Football" showdown against the 4-0 San Francisco 49ers, the team that ended their 2021 and 2022 seasons. Looking back at the Cowboys' 19-12 NFC divisional round road defeat against the 49ers wasn't something quarterback Dak Prescott was excited to do postgame on Sunday.
"It's obvious," Prescott said when asked about how he felt after the Cowboys' season-ending loss to the 49ers last January. "I mean, we're so far past that, to be honest with you, that's obvious. You just want to piss me off going into this week, and I appreciate that. I do actually. I do. I appreciate that."
When asked if that defeat served as a motivator for the Cowboys, Prescott replied honestly.
"Every day," Prescott said. "Every day."
The Cowboys' last two seasons, both of which were 12-win campaigns, came to an end against San Francisco come playoff time. First, there was the 23-17 defeat in the 2021 NFC wild-card round at AT&T Stadium. Last season, it was a 19-12 slip-up in Santa Clara, California at Levi's Stadium. The 2023 49ers only have one giveaway this season, tied for the fewest in the league through the first month of the season. The Cowboys defense has forced 10 turnovers this season, tied for the second most in the NFL. Many NFL coaches and players alike choose to downplay the the importance of individual regular-season games. Dallas isn't doing that this week.
"It's an important game," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. "You understand the history and there is obviously a lot of tradition with this game. That's all part of it. You live to play in these kinds of games. You dream to play in these types of games. You don't want to make it bigger than it is, but the reality is it's not just another game."
McCarthy's line of thinking is understandable. Both of these teams have been two of the NFL's most unrelenting units in 2023.
Dominant starts this season
| 2023 (First four games) | Cowboys | 49ers |
|---|---|---|
Points Scored | 124 (4th) | 125 (3rd) |
Points Allowed | 41 (1st) | 58 (T-3rd) |
Point Differential | +83 (2nd) | +67 (3rd) |
Turnovers | 1 (T-1st) | 1 (T-1st) |
Takeaways | 10 (T-2nd) | 5 (T-12th) |
Turnover Differential | +9 (1st) | +4 (T-6th) |
"There's no bitter taste, this is a top NFC team," Cowboys All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons said postgame Sunday. "I think [it's] us, Philly and the 49ers [at the top of the NFC]. This is a playoff game. This is something you look forward to. … It's going to be a test. It's going to be back and forth. It's going to go down to the wire. It's almost a rivalry at this point. It is going to be super exciting."
The numbers bear out Parsons' claim as the all-time series between the two teams is all knotted up at 19-19-1 including playoff games. Quite a test it will be for him and the Dallas defense since San Francisco has Pro Bowl running back Christian McCaffrey rolling on a historic, MVP pace. He is the third player in NFL history with 600 or more scrimmage yards (600) and seven or more scrimmage touchdowns (seven) through his team's first four games to start a season. He is now the third member of that club along with Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown (1958 and 1963) and Emmitt Smith. Smith took home the MVP in that 1993 season while Brown claimed the award in his first such season with that hot start back in 1958.
"They have a big line, two strong backs, so we thought that was one of the ways they [the Patriots] would attack for sure," Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said Monday. "That has been the formula for San Francisco, you can see the effectiveness of their [4-0] start just in the run game, scoring and finishing. McCaffrey is at the top of that list for sure. We have a lot of work cut out for us for sure. Still getting into the planning, but it's going to be a lot of fun."
The 49ers offense is far from a one-man show. They also feature four-time Pro Bowler George Kittle, perhaps the most complete tight end in the NFL today between his prowess as a receiver and a blocker, as well as Pro Bowl wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the only player in NFL history with over 1,400 receiving yards and 300 rushing yards in a single season (did so in 2021). They also have wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, a player who has seen all 17 of his catches this season go for either a first down or a touchdown and whose expected points added per target (1.40) leads the NFL.
To combat that arsenal of playmakers, Quinn will rely heavily on Parsons and the Cowboys pass rush. Parsons' 25.7% quarterback pressure rate is the highest in the NFL among 109 players with 75 or more pass rushes this season. He also co-leads the NFL in quarterback pressures with 27 alongside the Raiders' Maxx Crosby and the Detroit Lions' Aidan Hutchinson following his explosion against the Patriots on Sunday in which he recorded 10 quarterback pressures. That is tied for the most in a game this season along with Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson's 10 against the Los Angeles Rams on "Monday Night Football" in Week 3. The Cowboys team quarterback pressure rate of 55.6% leads the NFL, and no other team is above 45%.
"They play a system that has guys playing multiple positions, and we do too," Quinn said. "They have receivers that can play running back, running backs that can play wide receiver. We have some linebackers that can rush [Parsons]. We have some that go down and back [Leighton Vander Esch]. We have some safeties that can go down and back [Malik Hooker, Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson]. There is going to be all sorts of fun matchups in this game. A lot of late nights and studying to go because they really push you to prepare and we'll do every bit of that. We have a group that moves guys around in the same way. I think there are some fun matchups you'll see in the game."
Dallas' pass rush getting the better of 49ers All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams and an otherwise average pass-blocking line that is allowing a 36.4% pressure rate on quarterback dropbacks ranks 19th in the NFL entering Week 5 could decide the outcome Sunday night. Brock Purdy's play when he had a clean pocket to throw from versus when the Cowboys' pass-rush got home in the postseason against made him look like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Brock Purdy vs. Cowboys in 2022 postseason
| Purdy | Clean Pocket | Pressured |
|---|---|---|
Comp-Att | 15-17 | 4-12 |
Pass Yards/Att | 9.4 | 4.6 |
Passer Rating | 105.6 | 49.0 |
"They are very mindful of it [keeping Purdy upright and taking care of the football]," Quinn said. "They are taking care of the ball as well, I think they only have one [giveaway] for the entire season so far. That shows you how they coach it and how they take care of it. Both offenses are very good at that [taking care of the football]. Those will be the turning points in the game: if we can knock one out or get one. They have done a good job over the first four games for sure."
The Cowboys offense has, too, through four weeks of their 2023 season. Prescott ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in completion percentage (71.3%, tied for the fourth best in the league) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4-1, tied for the ninth best). Playing like that on Sunday in the Bay Area would be a departure from his performance across Dallas' two playoff defeats against the 49ers, games in which he has combined to throw two passing touchdowns and three interceptions against a defense led by 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, whose 18.5 sacks last season led the league, and 2022 First-Team All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.
"This is a week-by-week basis, the focus of this team," Prescott said. "This week's preparation had nothing to do with San Fran coming up. Now that we got this game out of the way, we're focused. We did what we were supposed to do and what we wanted to do. Now it's about turning the page and studying the hell out of these guys [San Francisco]. Understanding who they've been and what this matchup has been the past couple of years. We've played them in the playoffs, and we understand it's a team, that if we get to where we want to get, we have to play them again, come playoffs. I look forward to the matchup."
