The Dallas Cowboys need a win over the San Francisco 49ers to take back their season

If there's one constant in the Mike McCarthy era, it's the 49ers' play. For the fifth time in as many years, the Cowboys will face San Francisco after their bye and are looking for just their second win in those five tries. Two of those losses came in the playoffs in consecutive years, and last year's regular season matchup was about as brutal a defeat as the last time the Cowboys team played a game this year.

To say the 49ers are the big bad of the McCarthy-era Cowboys would be an understatement. Their only win over this team came in 2020 when Andy Dalton got the better of Nick Mullens at the end of a losing season for both teams. San Francisco has had his number ever since, and another loss to Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy and company could be just what breaks these Cowboys' morale.

Of course, this may not happen at all. The 49ers are riddled with injuries, especially on offense, and could potentially play this game without many of their best weapons, in addition to the missing Christian McCaffrey. Would a win over this team, which is barely holding it together due to injuries, actually mean anything for the Cowboys? Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman discuss.

Tom: I agree, that's not at all a win we can count on, but even if it was, it's hard to see it pointing to a strong finish to the season. Not only was the team dismal in its final game before the bye, but there seems to be a new off-field flag every day. Players are complaining (again) about stadium tours, Troy Aikman criticized the entire wide receiver corps for its routes and injuries are also increasing at Dallas. Oh, and Jerry Jones is always throwing people under the bus.

If they pull off a victory and look pretty good doing it, there comes a time when you have to look at the entire, ever-moving picture, and it starts to resemble a slasher flick more than a triumphant story. I still maintain that Mike McCarthy was doomed. This seems almost inevitable. A win over the Niners would only be a temporary reprieve from the uneventful 2024 season.

David: I don't entirely disagree, because beating this current version of the 49ers definitely won't be a “we've finally gotten rid of this crap” moment. There will be no “we did it” relief or anything like that. But a win is a win, and especially against a team that has worn your number for some time.

It could be mainly psychological for the players. It wasn't great to go into a farewell like that, and the conversation surrounding this team since then has been nothing but negative. Coming out of the slump and playing well and even beating the 49ers after all the talk about them not being able to beat them should be a real confidence boost. Even if it won't be some sort of inauguration, it can at least serve as a positive stimulus that is much needed now.

Tom: I'm actually more interested in how the players react on the field. If they still try to play hard and do their best, there is still hope that they can at least finish respectably.

The danger is that players start sending it in and making business decisions. There is also the risk of real tension on the sidelines, as we saw hints of it between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. These are things that could come from another really bad performance. Most importantly, this could be a real indication that McCarthy has lost the locker room. That would almost be understandable, if unfortunate, but I would suspect that he is not the real culprit. That's thanks to Jerry Jones, who was not only instrumental in putting together a struggling squad, but who continues to pull off upsets without success. That's why I noticed the renewed complaining about the stadium tours. This could be a sign that many players feel disrespected by the organization. However, they can't really do it to the owner and McCarthy becomes the scapegoat.

I don't want it to continue like this. I want the team to continue to put in the effort on the field and at least keep this game competitive. We still have to wait and see how everything develops on Sunday evening.

David: I think the most fascinating part of the entire stadium tour saga (can we really call it that?) was when reporters asked both Prescott and Lamb about it. Prescott gave a long answer that essentially boiled down to, “If the tours distract you from being the best version of yourself, then you were never that great to begin with.” Meanwhile, Lamb said that the tours “sometimes” were distracting and refused to elaborate.

To me, that sums up this team's problem. They seem caught between the mentality that Prescott, McCarthy and other veterans like Jourdan Lewis and DeMarcus Lawrence have – a mentality of tuning out the noise and striving to be the best – and the mentality that Jaylon Smith once had eloquently put it: “If the owner doesn’t stumble, we’re good.”

McCarthy has done his best to bring a gritty, craftsmanlike culture to this franchise, and there are times when that absolutely shines through. I think Prescott is also fully convinced. But others aren't because the owner, wearing far too many hats, continues to undermine all of McCarthy's efforts. In that sense, a win on Sunday night could give some players additional credibility to buy into what McCarthy is selling, at least temporarily.

Maybe that will be enough for the team to turn things around this season. Maybe not. But we'll definitely find out soon enough.