Cowboys 'Jacked Up!' For 49ers: 'What We Live For!' Says Coach Mike McCarthy
The feeling of playoff football is energizing the players and staff at The Star this week. After slaying Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys now get a chance to slay another demon. ...
One that ended their season last year in the San Francisco 49ers.
With a trip to the NFC Championship on the line, are head coach Mike McCarthy and his players ready for what's to come?
"We're definitely jacked up," McCarthy said with a smile.
"This is what we live for, this is what we've always worked for,'' the coach continued. "This is the time of the year that everybody wants to play. We're definitely excited about the opportunity."
That opportunity comes against a 49ers team in supreme form. They are on an 11-game winning streak and possess some monsters on both sides of the ball, particularly on defense.
Only allowing a league-best 16.3 points per game, the 49ers have star power everywhere, and McCarthy knows the challenges the league's best defense presents on Sunday night.
"When you go through the checklist, you start with the personnel, they have exceptional players on all three levels," McCarthy said. "It starts up front with the individuals and the depth, it's a talented front. Obviously, a lot is said about [Nick] Bosa and [Arik] Armstead, but it goes all the way through.
"It's an excellent defense."
"Excellent'' is right. The 49ers have only allowed 20 or more points on five occasions (including the playoff win vs. the Seattle Seahawks). So, they're a tough nut to crack.
But with the Cowboys "jacked up" and energized to put last year's playoff loss in the rearview mirror, the 49ers' defense will have perhaps its sternest test of the entire season.
As Micah Parsons said when asked if the Cowboys have faced anything like what the 49ers: “No, but I don’t think they’ve faced anybody like us yet this year, either. … I think we’re pretty hard to stop ourselves.''
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