San Francisco 49ers' Kyle Shanahan Reveals Strength of Dallas Cowboys Defense

What part of the Dallas Cowboys' defense is San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan most afraid of?

Few offenses across the league are as feared as the San Francisco 49ers’, orchestrated by head coach Kyle Shanahan. His wide-zone system has permeated just about every offense in the league in some capacity, and with San Francisco’s elite group of weapon it remains productive no matter who is under center.

The 49ers will have their toughest test of the early season on Sunday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys defense, which may be the best in the conference. Outside of an off-night in Arizona, Dallas has blown out its opponents, largely off the backs of the defense. Even after losing star cornerback Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys are viable to win games without the ball in their hands.

It doesn’t take a football mastermind to know that so much of Dallas’ success starts with the damage they do at the line of scrimmage. Edge rusher Micah Parsons may soak up the attention, but the entire pass rush is a threat to opposing quarterbacks.

Parsons himself generated 10 pressures in the Week 3 win against the New England Patriots. Only four teams have more sacks than the Cowboys (14).

Shanahan spoke about the fear this elite pass rush puts in play callers and quarterbacks alike.

San Francisco's Kyle Shanahan with Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy / Getty Images

“When you get into some bad situations and stuff,” Shanahan said. “That the D-Line is tough to handle and they can make you make a lot of mistakes. You’ve got to get rid of it quick sometimes, not always before you’re ready.”

Luckily for San Francisco, the quick game is absolutely humming to start the season. Quarterback Brock Purdy is putting up MVP-level numbers and boasts one of the quickest time-to-throw marks in football.

Letting elite ball carriers like receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey get the ball before a pass rush can inflict pain is critical, and one of the biggest strengths of the offense. Expect to see those two targeted early and often.

“When you’re behind the chains and things like that,” Shanahan said, “they’re as good a team as any when they got you one-dimensional and creating turnovers and getting after the quarterback.”

Winning the turnover battle will be pivotal in San Francisco on Sunday. Both offenses excel at operating quickly and efficiently, meaning the team that can disrupt the rhythm enough for the pass rush to wreak havoc will have a major advantage.

This one looks like it’s going to be won in the trenches, which makes for some good football for those of us lucky enough to not be suiting up on Sunday.