Cowboys vs 49ers bold predictions: Dak Prescott finally overcomes SF demons
• Dak Prescott can continue to silence critics
• Tony Pollard runs wild
By Randy Gurzi
1. Tony Pollard revenge game
2022 was a career year for Tony Pollard.
After spending three years in the shadow of Ezekiel Elliott, Pollard ended up leading the team in rushing yards with 1,007. He added 371 yards as a receiver with 12 total touchdowns. He then put up 77 yards in their playoff win over Tampa Bay but was knocked out in the first half against San Francisco.
With just under 1:30 to play, Pollard was tackled by Jimmie Ward and suffered a high ankle sprain and broken fibula on the play. He then had to watch as his team was unable to get the job done.
Pollard wound up getting hit with the franchise tag in the offseason and was healthy enough to start in Week 1. He's looked explosive so far and has 311 yards with two touchdowns throughout the first four weeks.
SF DC Steve Wilks on Tony Pollard:
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) October 6, 2023
“To be quite honest, I can't even tell he had an injury. That's how well he is running the ball. So yes, he does look explosive and he's doing some good things. He can take it the distance, he can run in between the tackles.” pic.twitter.com/iaVVqdwZpz
He had at least 70 yards in the first three games with 122 in Week 3 against the Cardinals. He saw his numbers dip in Week 4, gaining only 47 yards but that was against a strong New England front seven. Plus, Dallas had a huge lead, so he gave way to Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Huntr Luepke rather early.
That means he should be more rested than usual as he heads into Week 5 intent on handing the team that knocked them out of the playoffs their first loss on the year.
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