49ers vs. Cowboys: 5 Dallas players who are biggest threats to Niners
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: 49ers must beware of EDGE Dorance Armstrong Jr.’s pass rush
San Francisco, in general, should be wary of the explosiveness of Dallas’ offense. But the Cowboys defense has actually taken the biggest turnaround, going from the laughable unit that was last year’s group to one of the better league defenses this season, thanks in large measure to the presence of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
There are plenty of Dallas defensive standouts to look at, but getting a supplementary pass rush is a key reason why the Cowboys managed to finish on a relatively strong note and secure the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
He won’t get a lot of publicity. But reserve EDGE Dorance Armstrong Jr. has emerged as quite the quality rotational pass-rusher, springing up with five sacks this season, third on Dallas’ defense, and he’s managed at least half a sack in each of the last four games he played.
The Cowboys are likely to put pass-rushers like Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence on one side of the formation, situationally rushing in Armstrong for more favorable matchups, preferably on the strong side of the line of scrimmage where he’ll match up against fill-in right tackle Tom Compton.
Compton, who has allowed four sacks and 18 pressures this season, will be facing a tall order trying to keep Jimmy Garoppolo upright.