A Weakness on the Cowboys Defense That the 49ers can Exploit

Facing the Dallas Cowboys will not be an easy outing for the San Francisco 49ers.

The real challenge that the 49ers will face is against the Dallas defense. That is a unit that is playing at a high-level and has been for most of the season. Now, they did start to unwind a bit in December, but ultimately they are a tough side to go against.

It all starts with their defensive front that is headlined by Defensive Player of the Year candidate Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. These two have a combined 19.5 sacks in the regular season. The 49ers have not faced such an elite tandem of pass rushers this season. An effective pass rush that the Cowboys produce has played a part in the 16 interceptions that their defense has tallied. Dallas' defense does not waste opportunities when the ball is showing. Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers offense will have their hands full with this one.

But there is a weakness on the Cowboys that the 49ers can exploit.

That weakness lies with their linebackers. Anthony Barr and Leighton Vander Esch are a pair of stiffs in lateral movement. They only excel against the run game or getting after the quarterback. Outside of that, they are a liability in pass coverage. And with an offense like the 49ers that has players who can thrash a defense running routes out of the backfield -- it screams mismatch.

Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, Deebo Samuel, and even Elijah Mitchell should all find success this game lined up in the backfield. Even a standard drop back passing game can work well with slants, shallow crossers, and screens should be heavy in this game. Brandon Aiyuk is sure to be a force this game too in stretches. Expect the Shanahan to have his guys motion a lot to force Barr and Vander Esch into lone matchups where they will get beat.

This is a game in which the 49ers should go back to their roots, which is throwing short and allowing their playmakers to do the work. Basically, the old "Jimmy Garoppolo" game plan should work well against Dallas. Not only does it force the linebackers to chase and cover, but it'll keep Brock Purdy clean. Long-developing routes will give Parsons, Lawrence, and the rest of the Dallas front time to get to him. Purdy tends to scramble away to his left, which is not going to garner positive results as Parsons will close him down in an instant. Keep it quick and simple.

Another reason that a game plan like this works well is that Dallas isn't an aggressive team. They may like to put on moments that they can be, but really, they are not a side who will handle getting punched in the mouth all too well. The 49ers bullied the Cowboys last year and it garnered great results. This is the one thing that is still the same between these two sides from last year's Wild Card matchup -- toughness. San Francisco is still the more aggressive side, while Dallas has finesse to their game.

Having the game plan be a yards after carry emphasis means the 49ers are going right at these guys. Instead of avoiding by going deep, they are initiating. And then, should this all work out and the tone be set, that is when the 49ers can attack deep with Purdy. Winning this game resides on the offense of the 49ers. Their defense could use some cover with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense surging. Attacking the linebackers and letting the Niners' playmakers do the work will be a game that makes the Cowboys tap out sooner rather than later.