Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers: The Divisional Round Rematch

What We’ve Seen from the San Francisco 49er Offensive unit

Points Per Game: 26.5

Passing Yards Per Game: 238.2

Rushing Yards Per Game: 138.8

Total Yards Per Game: 377.0

Third Down Conversion Percentage: 45.0%

Red Zone Conversion Percentage: 54.0%

San Francisco Offensive Strengths

The strength of the 49ers’ offense is in their zone-blocking running game with Christian McCaffery and Elijah Mitchell running the ball behind a physical offensive line. That running game is the motor that runs this offense and few teams have been able to effectively slow it down. The effectiveness of the running game and versatility of running backs McCaffery and Mitchell have allowed third-string quarterback Brock Purdy to get more time in the pocket when using play-action to hit his top receivers Deebo Samuels and Brandon Aiyuk whose run-after-the-catch abilities make them tough to bring down when they are hit in stride.

Purdy also has tight end Goerge Kittle who’s become much more of a red zone threat this season along with fullback Kyle Juszczyk who has been Purdy’s reliable check-down outlet this season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has made this offense simple enough for Purdy to succeed giving him easy passes and not taking too many chances that could create turnovers. But when things break down Purdy has shown a great amount of poise in the pocket, moving around in the pocket to buy time to find an open receiver, his check down, or just get rid of the football.

When the Cowboys face off against the 49ers this time around they will really need to be aware of the play-action passing game as Shanahan knows Dallas will sell out to stop his two running backs. Look for a heavy amount of short crossing routes to Samuels and Aiyuk in order to let them get physical and create YAC and move the chains. Kittle and Aiyuk could be used to take shots downfield at times as well. This will by far be one of the toughest offenses the Cowboys will be facing this season and they could be in for a long day if they can’t get these playmakers on the ground

San Francisco Offensive Weaknesses Dallas Can Exploit

The offensive line of the 49ers is big and is tough to move when they are able to focus on certain pass rushers. Teams with multiple players who have the ability to win matchups have given this offensive line problem during the season, the Chiefs with Frank Clark and Chris Jones are a good example of that with pressure coming from up the middle and on the outside causing a few issues in that game. The Cowboys have more pass rushers than the Chiefs and their ability to bring pressure from multiple spots will benefit them in this game. We know the 49ers are going to focus a lot of their protection on where linebacker Micah Parsons lines up which should allow defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to design more exotic blitzes with the players he has to work with.

DeMarcus Lawrence, Dante Fowler Jr., and Dorance Armstrong on the outside will see more one-on-one matchups if used properly in this game, and will need to win those matchups. Osa Odighizuwa and Chauncey Golston’s speed on the snap on the interior of the defensive line will also make things tough for the 49er offensive linemen to reach their blocks in the run game as well to help create interior pressure. If the Cowboys are able to create enough pressure and put more bodies around Purdy they will force more check-downs and throwaways and limit the 49ers’ running game at the same time. Do that and make sure they can make tackles on their initial contact and the Cowboys’ defense will have an easier time stopping the 49ers from getting into a rhythm and coralling this offense.