5 rival teams 49ers would love to see fail miserably in 2022

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Samson Ebukam, Nick Bosa, Dak Prescott, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys

Samson Ebukam #56 and Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers sack Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /

49ers rival No. 3: Dallas Cowboys

Younger generations of 49ers fans may not appreciate the hated rivalry that once existed between the Niners and Dallas Cowboys, although the most recent installment certainly went in San Francisco’s favor with a Wild Card victory over quarterback Dak Prescott’s squad at AT&T Stadium that propelled the 49ers into another win over the Packers a week later.

While not quite as reminiscent of those playoff bouts of the 1980s and 1990s, it was an important chapter nonetheless and swiftly reminded NFL fans why the Cowboys weren’t exactly “for real” last season.

Things may have gotten worse for Prescott and Co. heading into 2022, too, particularly in the wake of losing standout offensive guard Connor Williams, wide receiver Amari Cooper, fellow up-and-coming wideout Cedrick Wilson and EDGE Randy Gregory.

Granted, these losses aren’t death blows to a team still poised to enjoy a relatively easy NFC East.

However, one can fairly estimate Dallas won’t be anywhere near as good as the 12-5 Cowboys squad we saw a year ago.

The Niners won’t face the Cowboys during the regular season. And while San Francisco would love a chance to end Dallas in the playoffs in back-to-back years, there’s a good chance the Cowboys won’t even get there if things go according to 49ers fans’ plans.