The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers started the season as strong contenders in the NFC, following three consecutive seasons with double-digit wins and playoff appearances for both teams.
However, the 2024 season has not gone as expected for either team, facing injuries and inconsistent performances that have raised significant concerns ahead of their game on Sunday.
Dallas (3-3) took a week off to recover from a tough 47-9 defeat to Detroit, marking the most significant loss at home for the Cowboys since 1988. Meanwhile, San Francisco (3-4) lost a highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch against Kansas City and is struggling as they approach their bye week after playing Dallas.
“We’re in similar spots — two teams that need to right the ship and get on a better trajectory,” said Niners defensive end Nick Bosa. “For them, they’re coming off the bye; we’re heading into it after this. They want to get going and start the second half of their season the right way, and we want to go into the bye feeling good about where we’re at.”
The Cowboys had ample time to reflect on their heavy loss to the Lions, but during this break, coach Mike McCarthy’s staff focused on addressing the issues that caused two major defeats against New Orleans and Detroit, along with inconsistent performances throughout the season.
Dallas has been outperformed in rushing yards by 66 per game, which is the worst in the league and the fifth worst in the team’s history after six games. Dak Prescott and the passing game have struggled to find consistency, and the defense has faced challenges under new coordinator Mike Zimmer.
The biggest concern, however, has been turnovers. The Cowboys have committed 11 turnovers while only generating five takeaways, a sharp decline from leading the NFL with 59 takeaways in the past two seasons under Dan Quinn.
“That’s the huge blinking light for us,” McCarthy said. “I think just like anything in the game of football, where you put your time, the time on task, taking care of the football, taking it away, and we’ve added some drills.”
A key improvement would be if Micah Parsons could return after missing two games due to an ankle injury, but he was unable to practice early in the week.
