'It Sucks to Continue to Lose!' Dallas Cowboys Admit to San Francisco 49ers 'Need'

'It sucks!' Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Johnathan Hankins recognizes the need to beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

The San Francisco 49ers has had the number of the Dallas Cowboys in recent years. The Niners have ended the last two postseason runs for the Cowboys, as Dallas hasn't beaten San Francisco since their last regular season matchup in 2020. 

However, despite failing in the last two seasons to beat the 49ers, Cowboys nose tackle Johnathan Hankins feels like this year's Week 5 matchup could be different from the most recent games. 

"It sucks to continue to lose to these guys, back-to-back years, especially when we have the talent that we have," Hankins said recently. "So this week, we definitely going to be more ready and attack these guys. I definitely think this is the year we get them. We just got to be clicking on offense, defense, special teams, and win this game as a team."

Jan 22, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs past Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (55) during the third quarter of a NFC divisional round game at Levi's Stadium / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

In some ways, this game feels a lot bigger than just another regular-season game. As the Cowboys aspire to end their 27-year NFC conference championship drought, the Niners are a team that they'll likely have to beat to accomplish that goal. ... And as of right now, aside from the Cowboys, the Niners and Philadelphia Eagles look to be the biggest roadblocks toward achieving that dream.

The Cowboys are 3-1 coming off a blowout 38-3 win at home against the New England Patriots, where they handed coach Bill Belichick the worst loss of his career. To this point, putting aside their lone loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys haven't truly been tested to this point. 

However, that will likely change as they head to Santa Clara, California, and Levi Stadium to face a franchise that the Cowboys know all too well. 

"It's always a battle going when we're going against the Niners, and obviously, the last two years, they've had our number," Hankins said. "So this game means a lot more to us than just a regular-season game. Two of the best teams in our [conference], so we've got to turn the page and beat the 49ers, man."