Sunday night's game has major implications for the 2023 NFL season as two of the top three NFC contenders, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers, square off against each other for the first of potentially two times this year.
We know about the increased meaning it's recently gained: The 49ers have owned the Cowboys lately. In back-to-back years, they've sent America's Team home, both times shutting down Dak Prescott and the offense. Kellen Moore, despite all his statistical success, likely stopped being the offensive coordinator of this team because of those two losses.
So yeah, it's not hard to understand why head coach Mike McCarthy admitted this was "not just another game.”
But there's also the historical significance of the rivalry. There's The Catch in 1982. There's Roger Staubach's 1972 fourth-quarter comeback. And don't get us started In the 1990s, when these were the teams. The absolute NFL's finest.
Doing Emmitt Smith a solid can lead to a Cowboys win
Well, it just so happens there's one specific aspect of this game where history meets the present. The Cowboys' path to beating the 49ers starts by defending the legacy of none other than Emmitt Smith.
Why? 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is gunning for Emmitt's historic mark of most consecutive games with a touchdown since 1990. McCaffrey is sitting at 13 and seeking to make it 14 against none other than Smith's team.
Can the Cowboys' defense step up for the franchise legend? It won't be easy. The 49ers offense is still the Christian McCaffrey show, as my A to Z Sports colleague Nicholas McGee called it on our preview show.
Back in January, the Cowboys didn't keep C-Mac out of the end zone but did a great job limiting him to 35 yards on 10 attempts. McCaffrey didn't run for over eight yards in a single carry all game long.
That started with a tremendous job from Dan Quinn's defense setting the edges and holding contain. Forcing everything inside again will be key for the Cowboys to beat the 49ers in Week 5. Of course, holding their gaps in the second level is a must if the team wants to avoid a loss similar to what happened in Arizona a couple of weeks ago.
If the Cowboys can force Brock Purdy into true dropback situations, they'll get chances to take the ball away as this is perhaps their weakest aspect on offense. Not because the Purdy haters are right, the kid can ball. He's a risk taker, however, and will make mistakes. And really, if you're picking between forcing Purdy or McCaffrey to beat you, I'm never picking the latter.
This game will be a true grind from start to finish. It all starts by stopping McCaffrey. And in the process, they can make sure Emmitt Smith's legacy remains untouched.
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