The season begins Sunday Night. Can the 49ers keep this streak against the loathed cowboys going?
Many might think the season starts tonight. The San Francisco 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys on primetime in what could be one of the best games of the year. The teams were bitter, hated rivals through the 80s and 90s which cooled off for some time. Things started back up two years ago when the 49ers went into Dallas and knocked them out of the playoffs. One year ago, Dallas came to the 49ers’ own home turf and got bounced yet again.
It’s just how 49ers fans have wanted it because while the rivalry has cooled the hatred for the Dallas Cowboys never ceases.
The 49ers and Cowboys will now square off in the regular season on Sunday Night Football. This will be on NBC in Prime Time. Mike Tirico will be handling play-by-play and Cris Collinsworth will handle the commentary.
The 49ers are riding off the best start since 2019, and they went to the Super Bowl that year. Quarterback Brock Purdy is not only showing that his rookie season was no fluke, he’s also showing he should be in the discussion for MVP with the way he’s playing. He just came off a 20-21 game against the Arizona Cardinals, a team much better than their record indicates. While Purdy has been lights out, his MVP candidacy is behind 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey who is doing all sorts of moves in Kyle Shanahan’s offense and finished the Arizona game going full Al Bundy with four touchdowns.
Meanwhile the Dallas Cowboys are coming off their own impressive victory against the New England Patriots, holding them to three points and putting Patriot quarterback Mac Jones’ future in doubt. The Cowboys have gotten their coils around teams early and start suffocating them for four quarters into submission. The wins are in question though. They blew out the New York Giants who have severe issues, a New York Jets squad in its first week without Aaron Rodgers, and a New England Patriots team that is flat bad. They lost to the same Arizona Cardinals team the 49ers suffocated themselves. Scores against other teams are never a good barometer to compare, but the Cowboys dog and pony show has yet to be performed against one of the better teams in the league.
The Cowboys will be looking to get a win over the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan has clearly had their number each time, forcing them into strange playcalls and brain fart endings.
The big injury to the Cowboys is cornerback Trevon Diggs who is out for the season after suffering a knee injury a few weeks back. DaRon Bland has been stepping up in his place. For Sunday, tight end Peyton Hendershot (shoulder) is going to miss the game. Linebacker Damone Clark (shoulder) is questionable.
The 49ers will be without running back Elijah Mitchell (knee). Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel is still not 100 percent but expected to play. The 49ers have also elevated two playsr from the practice squad: Kendall Sheffield and Austin Bryant. Backup offensive lineman Jon Feliciano is questionable
Date: Sunday, October 8th, 2023
Kickoff: 5:20PM PST, 8:20 PM EST
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Network: NBC
Play-by-Play: Mike Tirico
Color Analyst: Cris Collinsworth
Set Number: SI563 TK1
SB Nation Affiliate: Blogging the Boys
Odds: 49ers -3.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Total: 45
For more betting information, please visit DraftKings Sportsbook.
About the Author: Insidethe49
