The Dallas Cowboys will travel to Levi’s Stadium to take on the San Francisco 49ers Sunday afternoon in what is a must-win game for both teams. Before the season started how many figured we would be saying must win when it came to the 49ers?
But, this is where we stand heading into Week 4 of the 2016-17 NFL season. The 49ers are only one game behind their division leaders and a win against the Cowboys will place them right in the hunt. The Cowboys have seemed to move on from the Tony Romo era as rookie, Dak Prescott has asserted himself as the leader of this team. Despite his lack of touchdown passes he has yet to throw an interception and has kept the Cowboys on pace with the 3-0 Philadelphia Eagles in a tight NFC East division race.
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For the 49ers to win, Blaine Gabbert must move the chains with his arm. The Cowboys are one of the top defensive teams against the pass, which might give Chip Kelly’s offense problems. This is still the same Dallas defense that is quite familiar with Kelly during his Eagles days. If the 49ers can find holes up the middle for Carlos Hyde that may force the Cowboys to bring a safety or LB to the line of scrimmage, which will give the passing game better options to go deep or attack the soft spot in the middle of the field.
This game may be a lot closer than some may think. While the 49ers clearly have issues with their aerial attack they still can grind the ball which will keep the Cowboys offense off the field. But, a lot of pressure will be placed upon Prescott as he will be without Dez Bryant for the next few games. Prescott will look for his safety net, Jason Witten early and often, especially if trouble arises. If Ezekiel Elliott can break the first line of defense this could be a long day for the 49ers.
Here is where you can watch the game live Sunday afternoon.
Date: Sunday, October 2
Start Time: 4:25 pm ET
TV Channel: FOX
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go