5 ways 49ers slow down Cowboys vaunted offense in Wild Card round
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: The best way 49ers can limit Cowboys offense is to not let them on the field
The Cowboys have an elite offense with an array of receiving weapons at Dak Prescott’s disposal.
San Francisco’s best chance in this game is to keep all of them on the sidelines.
It’s an approach the 49ers may be suited to do well during the game, particularly with Dallas being defensively vulnerable to both yards after the catch and yards per rush, the latter category in which the Cowboys are giving up an average of 4.5 yards per carry.
That spells ball control, both with a heavy dose of rushing and the all-too-important aspect of not turning the ball over, a challenge in itself versus Dallas, which has forced more defensive takeaways (34) than any other team in the league.
Remember those 11- and 13-minute drives the Niners had against teams earlier this season? That might be the order for Kyle Shanahan, Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Elijah Mitchell over the course of the game. The Cowboys do have a potent pass rush, namely with linebacker Micah Parsons and EDGEs Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Yet a run-first, run-often approach is surely the best way to negate that while also keeping players like Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper and Dalton Schultz off the field.
if San Francisco winds up with a significant edge in the time-of-possession battle, it’ll win on Sunday.
Next. 10 biggest moments in historic rivalry between 49ers and Cowboys. dark