4 advantages 49ers have over Cowboys in Wild Card round
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Expect 49ers to limit Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard
Dallas has certainly turned into a more pass-happy team under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. With wide receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, why wouldn’t they? Those two are surely a mismatch against the Niners’ questionable cornerback room.
Yet suggesting Dak Prescott is going to drop back and attempt 45-plus passes is foolish, and the Cowboys will want to establish their own ground game with running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
Elliott, in particular, managed to reach the 1,000-yard plateau despite being somewhat dinged up over 17 games played, and he’s still a formidable threat.
One San Francisco can nevertheless limit, however.
Early this season, the 49ers’ run defense was nothing short of atrocious. But give credit to defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, along with defensive tackles Arik Armstead and D.J. Jones, for turning this entire scope around.
In contrast to the Cowboys giving up plenty of 100-yard games during the second half of 2021, the last time the Niners surrendered a 100-yard rush game was in Week 13 versus the Seattle Seahawks, and that was the lone 100-yard game on the ground between Weeks 10 through 18.