Cowboys vs. 49ers: 5 Matchups to Watch for San Francisco
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: RB Carlos Hyde vs. LB Sean Lee
As important as it is for the Niners to shut down Cowboys tailback Ezekiel Elliott, it’s equally important the 49ers offense gets its own running back Carlos Hyde going early and often.
Seattle bottled Hyde up for the first three quarters of action last Sunday. And the Niners offense, if anything, needs Hyde to be a major X-factor in order to gain any sort of offensive consistency.
Yes, you can insert your claims against Chip Kelly’s uptempo, rhythm-based offenses right here. Time of possession too.
Hyde is averaging 3.9 yards per attempt and 75.0 yards per game on the season. While averaging 4.6 yards per attempt in the first quarter, Hyde’s split drops to 1.9 yards per carry in the third. Consistency will be important.
Dallas’ defense currently ranks No. 10 against the run, but this same unit is averaging 4.8 yards per carry — 28th in the NFL.
One of the reasons the Cowboys haven’t given up more yards on the ground is due to linebacker Sean Lee. Lee leads Dallas with 12 tackles on the season, and Pro Football Focus grades him with a 68.5 mark against the run. Not bad, but not great either.
If Hyde can maintain some sort of offensive consistency over four quarters, the Niners may finally be able to move the ball efficiently enough.