Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers NOT 'A Rivalry Game!' Suggests Jerry Jones
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Dallas Cowboys view the San Francisco as a best-in-the-NFL measuring stick. But according to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, does that - and the rich history between the two teams - also mean the Niners' are a top Dallas rival?
“No,'' Jones said this week in a shocking bit of contrarianism. "I think our division games are those types of rivalries. We know we meet that maker twice a year and we got to get them done.''
Jerry Jones' Cowboys vs. 49ers
We get Jerry's point, issued this week on 105.3 The Fan; he values and cherishes as "top rivals'' the other four teams in the NFC East. But in each of the last two postseasons, Dallas has also "met its maker'' in the form of the 49ers, with San Francisco handing Jerry's Cowboys a pair of bitter losses.
Along those lines, Jones added, “But make no mistake about it, (this meeting with the) 49ers is an important game to be tried because of their stature.''
He termed this "Sunday Night Football'' showdown a "real evaluator'' - again, meaning a "measuring stick'' - but he was careful to then turn it back to the NFC East, noting, "It’s very easy to put this game in perspective because we’ve got two more games that we’ve got to play against Philadelphia as we look to the season. Those are going to be real evaluators. Those are in the division. (And) those are games that will tell us where we are as well.”
The Eagles are 4-0. But Dallas and San Francisco meet Sunday night at Levi's Stadium with the Niners also checking in a 4-0, while Dallas is 3-1. Can a loss be overcome in the standings, with all three teams vying for the top playoff slot in the NFC? Of course.
But Dallas is also trying to overcome a psychological barrier ... while harkening back to the Super Bowl teams of the 1990s, who were usually just a little bit better than some great 49ers clubs ... which is also part of this "rivalry that isn't.''
Dallas is a 3.5-point underdog here hoping to prove on the scoreboard that QB Dak Prescott and company are truly on the same level with the Niners, which causes us to circle back to Jerry's "non-rivalry'' take. It's often said that if one team always wins in a series of head-to-head clashes, it can't be a "rivalry'' because rivalries are balanced, not one-sided and lopsided.
So until Jerry's Cowboys actually beat the 49ers? It's San Francisco that has the right to dismiss "rivalry talk.''
