You could excuse Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott if they find themselves waking up in the middle of the night with nightmares of the 49ers dancing in their heads.
The 49ers have been a Cowboys’ problem the past two seasons, eliminating them from the playoffs in each of the past two Januarys — 19-12 in the divisional round last season and 23-17 in the wild-card round the previous season in Texas.
As the two teams ready to meet Sunday night in Santa Clara, Calif., in the biggest regular-season game to date this season, predictably you heard those associated with Dallas downplay what’s happened the past two years as any factor in this game.
“This is not all about what happened last year,” McCarthy told reporters this week. “This is not walking down the street and get in a fight with a guy, and then every time you turn the corner you’re looking for him. This is about winning the game. This is about winning the next game. But we know who we’re playing.”
The 49ers are 4-0 and have, for the most part, cruised through the first quarter of their season. The Cowboys are 3-1 and have won three games by at least 20 points already this season, but were upset at Arizona in Week 3.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones this week didn’t shy away from stating the importance of this game.
“They are, right now, probably the most likely team to go win the Super Bowl, but in order for them to get there, they have to go by us, hopefully two times if that’s the way it falls in the playoffs and we’re in the playoffs, of course,” Jones said this week on 105.3-FM radio in Dallas. “But the bottom line is you’re playing the best, you don’t need the game to tell you you’re playing the best, but you need the game to show you how you stack up against the best.”
The 49ers are one of just two unbeaten teams left in the NFL this season, along with the Eagles. The Cowboys are coming off a 38-3 domination of the Patriots.
“It’s always a battle going when we’re going against the Niners, and obviously the last two years, they’ve had our number,” Dallas defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins told reporters. “So, this game means a lot more [to us] than just a regular-season game. [It’s] two of the best teams in our [conference], so we’ve got to turn the page and beat the 49ers, man.”
San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner called this game “a huge test,” adding, “To say that it isn’t would be naive and downplaying the moment.”
The 49ers offense will be a lot to deal with for Dallas, beginning with second-year quarterback Brock Purdy, who’s 9-0 as a starter. He set a franchise record for completion percentage last week, going 20-of-21 in a win over the Cardinals.
Nevertheless, Purdy has operated under almost ideal circumstances, never having faced a situation in which he’s had to lead the 49ers back from a late deficit.
That makes a fast start for the Cowboys imperative. It, too, makes it critical to create 49ers turnovers. The Cowboys are tied for second in the NFL with 11 takeaways. The 49ers, though, are tied for the league lead with just one turnover committed. Purdy has yet to throw an interception this season.
The 49ers have won all 10 regular-season games since Purdy replaced an injured Jimmy Garoppolo early in a Week 13 victory last season. They’re scoring 32.6 points per game in that span, and Purdy is leading the NFL in passer rating (113.3), ranks second in yards per attempt (8.5) and has produced 21 touchdowns passing and rushing, and turning the ball over just four times in those nine games.
Despite his success, detractors insist Purdy, who’s not flashy, is simply a product of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system — along with great skill position talent around him in running back Christian McCaffrey, receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle.
“That’s pretty ridiculous,” Shanahan said of that theory. “You’ve just got to watch the tape. He plays at a high level every time he is been out there. He’s done it in a lot of different situations versus a lot of different defenses, on the road, at home, playoff games, when injured. You can’t do all that stuff, he’s been out there too long. It’s on tape.”
As good as Purdy has been, the 49ers’ best offensive player is McCaffrey, who has 600 yards from scrimmage with seven TDs in four games. Dallas did hold McCaffrey to 57 yards from scrimmage in the playoff meeting last season.
It all makes for a massive challenge for Dallas to purge the memories of the past two postseasons.
“You just use it as a game like this is where we were at last year, this is where we’re at now,” Parsons said. “I’m all about now and how can we define ourselves now and how can we say this is who we are and get a statement win and come back here and show how good we really are?”