The Dallas Cowboys take on the San Francisco 49ers Saturday night in the preseason opener for both teams.
Looking For More
Dallas is coming off a 10-6 season where they finished in first place in the tough NFC East. Their season ended with a loss to the Rams in the second round of the playoffs. They have a lot to look forward to this season after acquiring Amari Cooper for a first-round draft pick midway through the 2019 campaign. Cooper fit in great for the Cowboys and brought a new threat to their offense.
This year, there may be more weight on the shoulders of Cooper and quarterback Dak Prescott while their star running back Ezekiel Elliott is currently holding out for a bigger contract. The big debate around the NFL has been whether it is worth it for the Cowboys to spend big money on a running back’s contract while they are getting ready for a big contract for Prescott.
With the absence of Elliott, this preseason should be a good chance to see what the Cowboys can do on offense to change their game plan and get their wide receivers more involved. It will also provide a good chance for the other backs on the roster to step up and show what they can do, not only for the Cowboys but for any team in the NFL that may need depth at the running back position.
Building For The Future
The 49ers are coming off a rough season after losing their starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a leg injury early last year. San Francisco had high expectations for last year up until the injury. As crazy as it may sound, this injury and ultimately their failure of a season last year may have worked out in the 49ers’ best interest.
They have been building a solid team over the past few years, and Kyle Shanahan should be a great coach to lead them forward. And with their record last season, the team was able to add top defensive prospect Nick Bosa in the NFL Draft, making their team even more of a threat in the NFC West.
Shanahan has already told SFGate that Garoppolo will play this preseason to get him some live game experience before the start of the regular season. The 49ers are a completely different team with Garoppolo under center, and they will look to establish an identity during these four preseason games.
If San Francisco can stay healthy during the preseason, they should pose a threat to anyone this season. Their defense is young and talented with the leadership of Richard Sherman. Their offense should thrive under Garoppolo with weapons like George Kittle and Marquise Goodwin.
What To Expect
In this game, both teams have a lot of expectations for this season, as the 49ers are looking to finally stay healthy and live up to the team they have on paper, while the Cowboys will have to juggle their money to get the best team on the field or prove they can win without their star running back. I like the Cowboys’ stout defense to keep the 49ers from doing much in this game, while Prescott runs a simplified offense to give them the victory. Bet on Dallas.
