Good morning gentleman of the Revival!
We here at BBN are proud to present the latest game of the week which will pit the Cowboys and the 49ers; resurrecting an age old rivalry that spans deep into the 80s and 90s when both teams would battle each other for playoff contention.
The 49ers come into this game at 1-1 after a disappointing loss to the Atlanta Falcons. They will look to get back on track today and return to form; they cut through every opponent last year to an undefeated season that fell short at the hands of the defending champs Chicago Bears. The story out of San Francisco that we are now reporting is that rookie QB Shane Falco has supplanted veteran Russel Wilson in the starting role. We caught up with him yesterday after practice and asked him how he planned on handling the terrifying duo of Von Miller and Khalil Mack:
Falco: "I think it's really important to try and keep those guys off balance. I need to make sure I get the ball out of my hands quickly and give my guys up front a chance. It's hard not to think about those guys hitting you on a blindside or something but I have confidence in our game planning this week. I think we'll be okay."
We also asked him if he had seen the movie 'The Replacements'
Falco: Haha, yeah I have; I've been getting those jokes my entire life. It's crazy to actually think I'm in the league now though playing for such an amazing organization. Just time to go to work."
The 49ers game plan may include protecting Falco with a heavy dose of RB Cason Chustz, who will look to get back on track with a poor 17 yard performance last week. The unsung heros of San Francisico may come in the form of their defense, as they have been a force in the league during their 4 year run in the revival. We caught up with Captain Luke Kuechly to talk about their game plan for the Cowboys offense:
Kuechly: "You know, I kinda like that we're not being too heavily talked about. Miller and Mack on the other end will draw the spotlight which lets us keep our heads down and just focus on our game plan. We need to stop the run. That's the first priority every week, and we can allow our secondary to go out and make plays and let our guys on the D-line eat. Lynch has, what, 4 sacks already? That's pretty good I think. Stop the run and we'll be okay."
The Dallas Cowboys enter today's game at 2-0, coming off a dominate defensive outing against our own home town Buccaneers. The dynamic duo of Von Miller and Khalil Mack will prove incredibly tough to stop as they have terrorized offensive lines during their tenure with the Cowboys. We caught up with the both of them in the locker room to hear what they think of going against rookie QB Shane Falco.
Miller: "Wait, they benched Wilson? Man, that's crazy. But I'm not gunna sit here and blast the Niners for whatever they doin. They're a good team. You saw it last year. They were undefeated, so we gotta go out and work. We create pressure on Falco, and he gon have a looooong day man."
Mack: "Man, yeah I'm with Von bro. Starting a rookie is crazy cuz you know Wilson is a good quarterback who's proven himself. But is he ready for what we got? Man, I don't know. We gon throw all sorts of blitzes, different looks, everything. He ain't seen any of this before so I hope he's ready. All I know is, if he ain't, me and Von bout to EAT out there bruh."
The Cowboys offense has been flying under the radar as well, as their stars gather the spotlight. Newly acquired Nathan Saleh, who took over duties from Connor Cook this past week, looked sharp against the Buccaneers and looks to expand the chemistry with the rest of the WR core. He has already established a safety blanket with TE Garret Spear, who caught 9 passes for 143 yards last week. QB Nathan Saleh had this to say about settling in with the new Cowboys offense:
Saleh: "I'm just trying to nail down the exact chemistry with the guys out here each and everyday. We'll sometimes stay after practice and hit a couple extra timing routes because that's the difference between a touchdown and an interception. Spear has been awesome finding that space for me, but I need to find Diggs more, I need to find Lawrence more. Spread the ball around and keep the defense off balance. The coaches have been great helping me along in a new system, so I just need to stay with what they're telling me and we'll be fine."
We also asked Saleh what it was like going against Mack and Miller everyday at practice:
Saleh: "Man, I'll tell you what, I've never seen two guys with that kind of combination of power and skill to just move guys. They're clowns in the locker room but as soon as they suit up its all business. I'm just happy I have the red jersey in practice haha. Thank God I don't have to suit up against them on Sundays."
A similar narrative can be written about the Cowboys need to establish the run to help QB Saleh grow more comfortable during the game. RBs DJ Simmons and Latavius Murray both have over 100 yards rushing and can be an X factor for the Cowboys offense. The Cowboys defense will also look to prey on the pass with leading interception-getter Vonn Bell lurking.
The game will come down to a battle of defenses, as the star studded defense of Dallas will look to outlast the 49ers defense. Whoever can stop the run and force their opponent into throwing the ball more will have the edge. The 49ers boast a stronger LB core and also have a stud safety themselves in Bob Sanders, Jr. Our prediction?
49ers-33 Cowboys-24
The 49ers get back on track and hold off the Cowboys offense late to secure a victory in Dallas.
We hope you enjoyed our first Game of the Week post and look forward to doing more throughout the season. If there is something you would like to see in a post, please don't hesitate to let us know. Thanks for staying with us here at BBN; Bucs signing off.