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Post by Matt Meyer | @Bluto51 on X (Twitter)
Sobering Sunday evening in San Francisco for the Cowboys last week as the 49ers demolished Dallas 42-10. Didn’t feel that close. You could replace sobering with painful, deflating, embarrassing, humiliating, or a number of other adjectives. Five games into the season, the Cowboys sit at 3-2, with the closest game they’ve been in being decided by 12 points, the loss at Arizona.
If the 49ers played the Cowboys ten times, the Niners wouldn’t win by 32 points each time. Probably. I think. However, if the total for 49ers wins in a ten game series with the Cowboys was 7 1/2, I’d smash the over. I’d bet it at 8…maybe 8 1/2…and that’s not necessarily a criticism of Dallas, although there’s plenty to criticize. San Francisco is what a professional football team should look like. They have fantastic players at every position group, several of which are Hall of Fame caliber in Trent Williams, Fred Warner, and perhaps others. I don’t throw Hall of Fame labels around lightly…they’re that good. Smothering, punishing defense. Incredible array of weapons on offense, and it’s time people realize that Brock Purdy is not just a dink and dunk QB. No, he’s not Tom Brady, but he throws the ball down the field way more than he gets credit for. Interesting to hear Cris Collinsworth’s answer when Mike Tirico asked him what Purdy’s biggest strength was: his ability to quickly process what he sees. That ability helps make up for any physical limitations. It also helps keep his interception total at the magic number: 0. Any QB would like to be on a team that’s this loaded, but give Purdy his due. He’s better than a lot of people believe.
As for the Cowboys, well, they’re not as good as a lot of people believe, starting with the defense. Good defenses don’t normally allow 171 yards rushing. Dallas can rush the passer, although they only had one sack against San Francisco, and that was from S Jayron Kearse. Where was the vaunted Cowboys pass rush that we’ve heard so much about and usually see? They weren’t at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night. Give the Niners credit. They kept Purdy clean and he picked Dallas apart. 421 total yards to 197. 25 first downs to 8. 1 turnover to 4. 37:05 in time of possession to 22:55. Sometimes, stats lie. Not in this game.
Lot of talk about Dak Prescott this week and I understand why. It’s hard enough to beat the 49ers when your QB doesn’t throw 3 picks. My opinion on Prescott hasn’t changed. Decent QB…not an elite QB. You can win a lot of games with him, if everything around him is going well. When too much has been put on his shoulders, the results haven’t always been great. The change in philosophy on offense to move to more of a short passing game, ball control, west coast offense is the right thing to do. However, it tells you what the coaches think about Prescott. They know his limitations, and it’s smart to not ask him to do too much. It also becomes even tougher on an offense to come from behind when throwing the ball down the field is not something that’s normally in the game plan. Prescott can make some throws, but elite players make big time throws consistently without turning it over. To this point in his career, Prescott has not shown to be in the elite category, and this is year 8 for him. Nice player, better than a lot of what’s out there, but not elite.
Lot of injuries coming out of this game. LB Leighton Vander Esch will miss a few weeks with a neck injury. WR KaVontae Turpin injured an ankle and didn’t return. DB and Special Teamer C.J. Goodwin tore a pectoral and will miss the rest of the season. C Tyler Biadasz injured an ankle but returned. CB DaRon Bland was spotted going to the locker room. LT Tyron Smith and LB Micah Parsons have been hobbled. The depth of this roster will be tested over the next few weeks, and quality depth is not something Jerry Jones’ rosters are known for.
Different challenge, but a challenge nonetheless on Monday night in Los Angeles against the 2-2 Chargers. L.A. is 5th in total offense, 6th in passing offense, and 7th in scoring offense, led by QB Justin Herbert. RB Austin Ekeker hasn’t played since opening day against Miami because of an ankle injury, but he said this week that there’s a “99% chance” he’ll return against the Cowboys. WR Keenan Allen is still one of the better receivers in the game. On the flip side, the Chargers are 31st in total defense, last against the pass, and 24th in scoring defense. It’s an opportunity for Dallas to find some rhythm offensively, but the Cowboys defense will have their hands full. The Chargers aren’t the 49ers in terms of physicality, but they’re still good enough to win games if you let their offense get going. This is about as massive of a game that’s not in the division or even the conference because of the embarrassment last week and with what’s ahead on the schedule. If Dallas doesn’t have success throwing the ball in this one, there’s not much hope for the passing game.
Cowboys 24 Chargers 20