The Cowboys Visit The 49ers In A Rematch From The Past Two Postseasons – News18

DALLAS (3-1) at SAN FRANCISCO (4-0)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, NBC

OPENING LINE: 49ers by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Cowboys 3-1; 49ers 3-0-1.

SERIES RECORD: Tied 19-19-1.

LAST MEETING: 49ers beat Cowboys 19-12 on Jan. 22, 2023, in the divisional round at Santa Clara, Calif.

LAST WEEK: Cowboys beat Patriots 38-3; 49ers beat Cardinals 35-16.

COWBOYS OFFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (7), PASS (14), SCORING (4)

COWBOYS DEFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (16), PASS (2), SCORING (1)

49ERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (3), PASS (9), SCORING (3)

49ERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (3), PASS (17), SCORING (3)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Cowboys plus-3; 49ers plus-4.

COWBOYS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Tony Pollard. After breaking his leg in the playoff game at San Francisco last season, Pollard is entrenched as the No. 1 back in Dallas. He is averaging 93 yards from scrimmage per game this season and has scored two TDs.

49ERS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Brandon Aiyuk. After sitting out Week 3, Aiyuk returned to have six catches for a career-high 148 yards receiving last week. Aiyuk has 320 yards receiving in three games this season and has gotten a first down or TD on all 17 of his catches this season.

KEY MATCHUP: Dallas pass rush vs. 49ers QB Brock Purdy. The Cowboys did the best job against Purdy of any team during last season’s playoff meeting. His 87.4 rating was his lowest of any start as he went 19 for 29 for 219 yards and no TDs. Dallas had two sacks and Micah Parsons and Co. put heavy pressure on Purdy all game.

KEY INJURIES: Parsons was limited in practice at the start of the week with a knee injury. … Niners WR Deebo Samuel has been limited by rib and knee injuries but is expected to play.

SERIES NOTES: The 49ers eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs the past two seasons, winning a wild-card game on the road in the 2012 season and a divisional round game at home last season. … Dallas has won its past four regular-season road games in the series. … This is the first time since the 1994 season with the teams meeting when both are multiple games over .500.

STATS AND STUFF: Dallas and San Francisco are tied for the fewest turnovers this season with just one. … The Cowboys are the first team with four non-offensive TDs in the first four games since Arizona in 2015. … Dallas is tied for second in the NFL with 10 takeaways. … Cowboys S DaRon Bland has three INTs, with two returned for TDs. … The Cowboys have won three of their first four games by at least 20 points. Only 16 other teams have done that since the merger. … Dallas is second in the NFL with a plus-83 point differential, the best for the Cowboys through four games since 1968. … Dallas has converted an NFL-best 51.6% of third downs. … The Cowboys are third worst in the NFL by turning just 36.8% of red zone trips into TDs. … Dallas has held opposing QBs to a 55.2 passer rating this season, second best in the NFL. … The Cowboys have allowed one conversion on 20 tries when the opponent needs at least 7 yards for a first down. … Dallas K Brandon Aubrey is 13 for 13 on FGs in his first season, becoming the eighth kicker in NFL history with at least that many makes in a perfect start to a career. The record is 18. … Niners rookie K Jake Moody is 9 for 9 on FGs. … San Francisco is off to its fifth 4-0 start in franchise history and has won 14 straight regular-season games. … The 49ers have scored at least 30 points in seven straight regular-season games for the longest streak in the NFL since Denver did it 13 games in a row in 2012-13. … The previous team to score at least 30 points in the first five games of a season was the 2018 Rams. … San Francisco has scored three TDs and one FG on its opening drives to lead the NFL with 24 points. … The 49ers had five TDs on five red zone trips last week. … San Francisco gained a first down or TD on 50.9% of offensive plays last week for the highest rate in a regular season or playoff game since at least 1991. … The 49ers have won 10 straight home games in the regular season or playoffs, one shy of the franchise record. … Niners RB Christian McCaffrey has scored a TD in a franchise record 13 straight games, including the playoffs. He is two shy of the longest streak since the merger. … Purdy completed 20 of 21 passes last week for the fourth-best completion percentage ever for a QB with at least 20 attempts.

FANTASY TIP: McCaffrey has 600 yards from scrimmage and seven TDs already this season. He joined Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (1995) and Jim Brown (1958 and 1963) as the only players to hit those marks in the first four games of the season and should get plenty of opportunities again on Sunday as San Francisco tries to keep the pass rush away from Purdy.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)