The San Francisco 49ers are on the road this Sunday, looking to lock in a perfect 2-0 record against their long-term rivals. After snatching a win from the Las Vegas Raiders, they’re heading into Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys, renewing one of the NFL’s most iconic rivalries. This isn’t just another game, either. A win means the 49ers would hit their first five-game winning streak against Dallas, including playoffs, since they ripped off six in a row way back from 1981 through 1990. Talk about history on the line!
Keenan Allen’s Wild Ride: Same Opponent, New Team
This Week 10 matchup is shaping up to be a wild one, especially for new 49er Keenan Allen. The dude just got acquired on Tuesday, and he’s about to do something you rarely see in the NFL: play back-to-back weeks against the exact same opponent. Think about that for a second. Last week, Allen, then with the Colts, played against Dallas, pulling in four receptions on eight targets for 26 yards over 36 snaps. Now, barely a week later, he’s facing that exact same Cowboys defense, but he’s wearing red and gold.
Here’s the kicker: this time, Allen is the 49ers’ No. 1 receiver. He’s not sharing passes with Josh Downs anymore, and even with Demarcus Robinson playing his second game back from injury, Allen is clearly going to be WR1 when he’s on the field. Plus, he’s got Brock Purdy throwing him the ball. Look, we don’t even need to talk about how Purdy is a massive upgrade over Jones. It’s a unique situation, but you know Allen isn’t complaining about another shot at that “poor” Dallas defense.
The “Poor” Dallas Defense and the 49ers’ Offensive Firepower
Now, about that Dallas defense. They’re giving up 26.2 points per game, which is the seventh-worst in the whole league. This will be the fifth time this season the 49ers have faced a defense in the bottom 10 for scoring through nine weeks. Just last week, they diced up the Raiders, who have the worst scoring defense in the league. When the 49ers go against these bottom-tier defenses, they usually feast:
* Week 2 vs. Miami (23rd-ranked scoring defense): 35 points
* Week 3 vs. Arizona (31st): 36 points
* Week 6 vs. Washington (24th): 23 points
* Week 8 vs. Las Vegas (32nd): 38 points
That’s an average of 33 points per game in those four matchups. Not bad at all for a high-powered offense like the 49ers, right? But here’s where it gets interesting: 33 points might actually *not* be enough this time.
Dallas’s High-Powered Offense Is the Real Threat
Why not enough? Because the Cowboys’ offense is high-powered and a total scoring machine. They score on a ridiculous 49.5 percent of their drives, which is the third-best percentage in the entire league. The 49ers honestly haven’t really faced an offense like this one all season. Dallas has dropped 33 or more points in three of their eight games so far, including two of their last three outings. Last week was the most recent example of the 49ers facing a team like Dallas, but this offense is something else.
This Sunday, the 49ers aren’t just looking to extend a historic winning streak; they’re stepping into a true test against a red-hot Dallas offense that can put points up in a hurry. Can their own high-powered attack, now with Keenan Allen, keep pace? You do not want to miss this one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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