The 49ers Will Play the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs
The Dallas Cowboys just blew out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14, which means the 49ers will play the Cowboys at home this Sunday at 3:30 Pacific Time.
INSTANT ANALYSIS: I thought the Buccaneers might actually upset the Cowboys, but it turns out Tampa Bay is just an 8-10 team with a 45-year-old quarterback that needs to retire.
Dallas looked terrific, though, particularly their quarterback, Dak Prescott, who played like prime Steve Young, although he had all night to throw because the Buccaneers have no pass rush. The Cowboys also showed they have a good offensive line, a good running back in Tony Pollard, which means they have a good play-action passing game, although their left tackle Jason Peters left the game with an injury. Good luck blocking Nick Bosa.
The Cowboys also have a good tight end in Dalton Schultz and an elite wide receiver in CeeDee Lamb. They're an explosive offense, but most importantly they didn't turn the ball over against Tampa Bay. It's hard to beat the 49ers if you turn the ball over.
On defense, the Cowboys looked terrific as well. They have a deep pass rush that features one of the best edge rushers in the NFL -- Micah Parsons -- although he doesn't match up well against Trent Williams. They also have a secondary that intercepts passes and a run defense that performed surprisingly well against the Buccaneers -- the return of linebacker Leighton Vander-Esch certainly helped. Although to be fair, the Buccaneers never made a concerted effort to run the ball, and the 49ers absolutely will.
The 49ers are better than the Cowboys on paper, but the Cowboys are battle-tested because they play in the NFC East, which means they've played four games against the Giants and Eagles, while the 49ers play in the NFC West, and the best teams they've beaten are the Chargers and the Dolphins, both of whom were eliminated this weekend.
Don't get me wrong, the 49ers should beat the Cowboys. But the game could be closer than you expect. I can't wait.
