The Dallas Cowboys are back in the playoffs for the first time in a long time; 2018 to be exact. So much has changed about Dallas’ roster since then, it’s unrealistic to use that experience as anything but historical footnotes when talking about this weekend’s matchup. So when it comes to their opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, it makes even less sense to worry about what happened in the 1990s, last decade or last year even.
Sure Dallas has won six of the last seven meetings and three in a row, but only the last two have come against Kyle Shanahan, but neither team had their starting QB last season and some dude named C.J. Beathard was San Francisco’s QB in 2017. Everything’s changed so a look into who this 49ers team appears to be is much more important. In Week 18, the 49ers got quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back after a one-week absence.
He injured his throwing hand in Week 16, tearing a ligament and chipping the bone, causing him to miss Week 17. But he returned in time to get his team to the playoffs with a Week 18 win over the Los Angeles Rams, his 15th start of the year, which helped Dallas earn the No. 3 seed and setup Sunday’s matchup.
Garoppolo hasn’t been the picture of health since making his way from New England to the west coast, only playing all 16 games once, in 2019. The other three seasons have seen him play just six, three and six contests. When he plays, San Francisco usually wins, going 31-14 in those contests, a .688 winning percentage. So while the Shanahan’s run game takes all the headlines, it functions within the space of Garoppolo’s passing attack.
It’s important to identify what Dallas and defensive passing game coordinator Joe Whitt, Jr. will be faced with planning for.