The Cowboys are coming off a bye week while the 49ers lost another home game, this time to the Chiefs in a rematch of last year's Super Bowl.
Dallas is 3-3 and the 49ers are 3-4. Aside from not having winning records, another common aspect between the two is a plethora of injuries to key players.
Here are the 10 big storylines for the week, with five for the 49ers and five for the Cowboys.
49ers
- On the slide - The 49ers most certainly didn't expect to enter Sunday's showdown with the Cowboys with a losing record. But San Francisco is 3-4 for a variety of reasons, and it stems much deeper than just the injury bug, which has definitely been a problem for the 49ers. They've lost four games by a total of 22 points. The Cowboys on the flip side, have lost three games by a total of 66 points. But over the last few years, the 49ers have found ways to win those close games and it hasn't happened the same this year. The 49ers have also lost two straight home games and will be looking to end that skid against the Cowboys, who haven't won in San Francisco since 2017.
- Wide Outs- The wide receiver position took a big hit for the 49ers this past game when Brandon Aiyuk suffered a season-ending injury with a torn ACL, MCL. The team was already without Deebo Samuel, who was taken to the hospital after leaving the Chiefs game with a reported pneumonia and fluid in his lungs. Samuel's status for Sunday is questionable but Aiyuk is definitely out, leaving the 49ers to turn to Jauan Jennings and rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.
- CMC Doubtful? - 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan recently said he'd be "surprised" if Christian McCaffrey plays this week against the Cowboys. His starting running back has missed every game this season so far with an Achilles/calf injury. With the 49ers bye week to follow, it's more likely CMC is back in two weeks against the Bucs. Still, the 49ers would lean on Jordan Mason, who ranks second in the NFL with 667 rushing yards.
- Purdy Different - While he certainly doesn't have the same cast around him these days, Purdy's numbers are reflective of that. Coming off a season in which he threw 31 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, Purdy has slightly more TD passes (nine) than his seven interceptions. His QB rating is 91.2, a far drop-off from his NFL-leading 113.0 QBR last season.
- Leaning on the D - The bulk of the injuries have occurred on the offensive side of the ball, but the 49ers' defense has had trouble carrying the team in the process. San Francisco ranks near the middle of the league in many categories, from yards allowed per game (14th) to overall points allowed (16th). Nick Bosa has registered 44.5 sacks in the last three years, but has just 3.5 sacks through seven games this season.
Cowboys
- Rest Assured - The Cowboys should be rested and rejuvenated heading into this week. Mike McCarthy discussed his post-bye plans, which have worked well in the past for his teams. In his first years in Dallas, the Cowboys are 3-1 following the bye, with only an overtime loss in Green Bay in 2021. The Cowboys desperately need to get back over .500 this week, especially since NFC East rivals - the Commanders (5-2) and Eagles (4-2) are coming off wins.
- Help on the Way? - The Cowboys might not know the status of both Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland until game-time this Sunday in San Francisco. Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones said it's too early in the week to see if Parsons can make a return from his high-ankle sprain he suffered against the Giants on Sept. 26. Bland has been out since in mid-August with a stress fracture in his foot and nearly came back to action against Detroit but suffered a minor setback.
- Nowhere to Run - Once again, the Cowboys find themselves searching for answers in the running game. At 77.2 yards per game, Dallas is last in the NFL. They're the only team in the NFC without a 100-yard performance by a running back this season. And despite having four-time Pro Bowl veteran Dalvin Cook on the practice squad, there has been no signs the team is looking to elevate him to the roster this week for the first time. Although, the bye week is usually a time to mix up personnel, so perhaps the Cowboys will at least give Cook a shot, to either replace or rotate with Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott.
- Out of the Gate - The Cowboys need to find a way to get off to better starts – on both sides of the ball. Dallas has yet to score a touchdown on the opening drive of the game or third quarter. On the flip side, teams have seven touchdowns to begin a half. Overall, the Cowboys are getting outscored 61-15 to begin the first and third quarters.
- The Ball, The Ball, The Ball - Turnovers are usually the deciding factor in many games and this one could be no exception. The Cowboys and 49ers both rank near the bottom of the NFL in turnovers, giving the ball up 11 times. But where the 49ers are different is the amount of takeaways, forcing 13 turnovers, while Dallas has only forced five. In the last three losses to the 49ers, the Cowboys have lost the overall turnover battle 7-3.
