BRING IT ON.
By Mark Halpern
Well, here we go. Get your popcorn, break out the nachos, and, let’s face it, any fried food because it’s playoff time. Now the Cowboys won the NFC East division and own a home game, and it isn’t more fitting than it to be against the 49ers. It is no secret that these two teams have a storied history in the playoffs and the regular season. This game will be an actual fight to the finish. Let’s look at our opponents.
The San Francisco 49ers have a formidable team on offense and at defense. Jimmy Garoppolo leads them; this 49er team has weapons and talent. First, their leader has not had a pro bowl type season but has kept them in games and has done so by being a good field general. Deebo Samuel has done it all on the field this year. Deebo is primarily a wide receiver, but he has been instrumental in the backfield, which makes defenses crazy. Deebo has turned into that two-way player that all teams want. Brandon Aiuk has had a decent year. He had a prolonged start, but by week 10 his name was being heard a lot. He is a dynamic receiver that runs good routes. George Kittle is a tight end and reminds me of some of the greats like Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, Gronk, and Sterling Sharpe. He is physical, has fantastic hands, is not afraid to take a hit, and is one person I would want on the field with the game on the line. The 49er running game has been a little all over the place this season. However, since the last 9 games, Elijah Moore has been handling the running game. He has done a fine job and has caused some headaches.
The 49er defense is no slouch either. Led by Nick Bosa, they have a top ten defense. Fred Warner has been a leader of linebackers and has excellent help from Azeez Al-Shaair as the man in the middle of the field. Arik Armstead is on the other side of the line and will give linemen trouble. The secondary is vulnerable, but it does have a name that has been a thorn in Dallas’s side for a long time in Josh Norman. By no way is he the same player that he once was but, playing your most hated rival can bring out the best in you. One thing that makes me feel better is that Treyvon Diggs has more interceptions than the entire SF team. So that’s a fun stat.
We all know what the Cowboys have, but let’s refresh you all. All the Cowboy’s first strings are ready to go. Dak will lead the charge during this game and have the weapons of Zeke, Pollard, Cooper, Lamb, Wilson {in for injured Gallup}, Schultz, and that’s just the primary offense. As I mentioned, the offensive line is fully healthy and will have their hands full. I expect a lot of double teams on Bosa. Dak is going to have to be accurate and make good choices. Cooper, Lamb, Schultz, and Wilson have to give Dak opportunities, and I would not be surprised to see some Malik Turner this week. Zeke and Pollard will have to control this clock with med and long runs. No more of these friggin 1-yard runs. The ground game needs to be alive and keep pushing to get those short thirds and two or three.
Now the Dallas defense is ravenous. This season the Cowboy’s defense has been the talk of Dallas. Usually, it’s the offense, but the Dan Quinn defense’s new look is terrifying. At the ends of the d-line, Lawrence and Gregory form a scary attack. The Line Backers of Neal, Vander Esch, and Micha Parsons control the middle of the field and are part of why the defense is so good. However, the Dallas secondary has been the talk of football. Led by Diggs with 11 interceptions {which is more than most teams} this secondary has been named “The No-Fly Zone” because it’s hazardous for opposing quarterbacks to throw it anywhere. The Cowboy’s defense will be the reason Dallas wins this game. The 49ers’ offensive line is good but has not faced anything like what Dan Quinn has put together.
I foresee a significant victory and a get-ready for the winner of the Tampa/Eagles game. If Tampa wins, Dallas will travel to Tampa, where they lost in week 1 but, not by a large margin. If the Eagles win, they will travel to Dallas. FLOOD THE STADIUM WHITE LET’S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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