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ARLINGTON, Texas — Six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy challenged the Dallas Cowboys on NFL Network to stand up to the San Francisco 49ers before Sunday’s game at AT&T Stadium.
Dallas (4-5) hosts San Francisco (7-1) with kickoff at 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX. The 49ers have won the last four meetings. A week after a 27-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Cowboys are looking for their first consecutive wins of the season.
Gerald McCoy Wants Fast Start From Dallas Cowboys Against San Francisco 49ers
McCoy said Dallas has to protect its home field by scoring early and keeping San Francisco from scoring early. “This is a game of will,” McCoy said.
San Francisco imposes its will on opponents, according to McCoy, who compared letting that happen at home to inviting someone into the house, then watching the guest take food out of the refrigerator and grab the remote. He also likened it to a kid getting pushed around at school, and he said the Dallas defense has to respond when the 49ers start pushing. “Dallas Cowboys, for the life of me, stand up for yourself, please,” McCoy said.
Christian Parker Wants Clean Tackling Against Physical 49ers
Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker described physicality Thursday as a team-wide trait for San Francisco under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, and he said the 49ers have always played that way. “I think Kyle does a great job,” Parker said. “That’s the culture they’ve created. Offense, defense, special teams. They value that, and it shows on film.”
Dallas allows 147.4 rushing yards per game, 31st in the NFL. Against Indianapolis, the defense held the Colts to 271 total yards and 3-of-13 on third down, but Ashton Dulin turned a short pass into a 55-yard touchdown with 1:17 left in the third quarter.
Missed tackles on that one snap are what Parker wants cleaned up against San Francisco. “That’s what we’re focusing on,” Parker explained. “The overall execution, the fundamental detail, and just being able to do that for a full 60 minutes. Not having any one-off plays.”
“Sometimes it’s you’re playing clean for 58 plays,” Parker continued. “Those two plays, you miss two or three tackles on a single play. 55 yards later, it’s a touchdown, and not allowing that to bleed into others, so just overall clean play and fundamental execution.”
San Francisco converts 51.7% of its third downs, second in the NFL. Parker said the 49ers mix up their approach week to week, so Dallas has to know the situation and what San Francisco likes to do. “They have significant ball carriers, so the ball doesn’t always have to travel past the sticks,” Parker said. “They do a good job catching it. Getting vertical immediately, breaking tackles, and getting past that.”
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