I believe it's time for Cowboys fans to leave it at that, sit back and cheer on the formidable 49ers on Sunday, and allow them to pass Dallas for the greatest Super Bowl glory in history. . It's not like it hasn't happened before, and the Cowboys still managed to recover from it.
These two franchises have always been linked since the beginning of their championship pursuit. Who wrote “The Catch” that ignited Joe Montana's career in the '80s, or who wrote “How Bout Them Cowboys” and “Put It in a 3-Inch Headline” which were Dallas highlights from the '90s? Everyone knows, but few remember or talk about, how Dallas defeated San Francisco in back-to-back seasons and lost their first game after two major disappointments against Vince Lombardi's Packers. That said a lot about how they made it to two Super Bowls. The Doomsday Defense nickname was established prior to the 1970 and '71 seasons, but the unit only sent the Cowboys to 14-3 and 17-1 wins in the NFC Championship Game against John Brodie's Niners. That was when we won by 10.
From there, things started going back and forth, with Dallas taking a 2-0 lead in the Lombardi Trophy, and by 1989, the 49ers had improved to 4-2, and the Cowboys responded with their best era, finishing 5-5. And so. After 30 Super Bowls, these teams made his 13 appearances in the NFC, of which he won 10. Now, here we are in Super Bowl 58, with both teams tied at 5-5, still leading the NFC but one trophy behind Pittsburgh and New England.
So let that happen. Make San Francisco 6-5 and give the Cowboys some traditional motivation heading into 2024, since nothing else seems to be helping. With Mike Zimmer joining the staff as the 67-year-old defensive coordinator, Mike McCarthy's staff certainly has the wisdom to remember this history. Perhaps they found a way to convey that to today's players, who view Tony Romo as an old-school player.
Even if Kansas City wins on Sunday, in many ways nothing will change, and whether it's the Cowboys or the Eagles or especially the newcomers on the block from Detroit, the 49ers are still a target in the NFC. I am aware that this is the team we should be in. But if the Niners are the defending Super Bowl champions, that measuring stick will get even more interesting whenever the Cowboys return to Levi's Stadium next season.
The Cowboys game in San Francisco is, on paper, the start of Dallas' toughest offseason yet, and I doubt that will change no matter what happens in the draft or free agency. That's not to say the road games at Cleveland and Pittsburgh, though, and certainly not Philadelphia, as are non-district home dates against Baltimore, Detroit, Cincinnati and Houston.
But if San Francisco is the end goal, whatever the holdover from a 42-10 blowout loss in October, there's at least a modicum of safety in that idea. If Kansas City wins its third Super Bowl in five years, it just sends a message that this time and place is all about Patrick Mahomes. That's not to say the Chiefs' defense isn't a key factor in this great playoff run, but the way Mahomes commanded the offense through three rounds of the AFC playoffs without any turnovers or sacks is another example of a former Red Raider. It was a quarterback clinic. And the Cowboys don't have Patrick Mahomes at their disposal.
But don't they at least have Brock Purdy? Doesn't the guy who finished second to Lamar Jackson in MVP voting announced at Thursday's NFL Honors Night at least deserve it? Granted, it was a distant second place – Dak didn't receive one of the 50 first-place votes – but it was still two spots ahead of Purdy. Even though Purdy showed little before the game against Detroit, and Prescott, 31, won't run as well as he did in college, both quarterbacks can step up defense and use their legs as a weapon at times. .
The Cowboys, in effect, want to become the 49ers. They have an overlooked talent at quarterback as well. Tony Pollard is no Christian McCaffrey, and the Cowboys don't have a tight end who can bury defenders like George Kittle, but they want to move the ball efficiently and often. I think Micah Parsons can hold up well against Nick Bosa on defense, but the Cowboys don't have anything close to the power and leadership that Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw bring to the linebacker position. As long as Parsons is on the line of scrimmage, that will likely be new coordinator Mike Zimmer's first job. It's about finding some size, strength and presence at linebacker.
For three years, the Cowboys have shown themselves to be San Francisco's light. I don't know if they have the ability to improve this offseason. While today's players may be less likely to study history, the Cowboys have definitely benefited from it in all sorts of ways. Perhaps the harsh reality that the 49ers have a better Super Bowl legacy will make the Jones family realize that things have been far away from this storied franchise for a long time.
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