For the second straight season, the 49ers and Cowboys will meet in the playoffs.
Last year, the two storied franchises reprised their rivalry in the NFC Wild Card round, playing in the postseason for the first time since the 1995 NFC title game. The 49ers ended the Cowboys’ season last year and Michael Irvin thinks it could happen again.
The Hall of Famer and Cowboys legend joined 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” Wednesday to explain why he thinks San Francisco has an advantage over Dallas.
“I like this matchup the least out of all the matchups the Cowboys could have fallen up upon,” Irvin told hosts Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto. “I would rather have this in the NFC Championship game. If you have to do it, do it on that stage as opposed to doing it anytime before. I’ll tell you why, it’s because the San Francisco 49ers have all the kryptonite for the Dallas Cowboys.”
The Vegas oddsmakers agree. As of Wednesday night, the Niners are favored to win by 3.5 points at home at Levi’s Stadium.
Irvin explained the areas where he thinks the 49ers can expose the Cowboys.
“They can run the football very well,” Irvin said. “That’s one of the issues Dallas has is being able to stop a great running game. They can certainly run the football very well. Another thing Dallas has is speed. Kyle Shanahan uses Dallas’ speed as to their detriment with all the misdirections and everything. I’m really worried about Micah Parsons because I’m sure they’re gonna show him so much eye candy that it will be hard for him to focus and play direct football.”
While most of the players in Sunday’s game are unable to remember the fierce peak of the 49ers-Cowboys rivalry in the 80s and 90s, Irvin said there’s still something magic about this matchup.
“Even though a lot of those kids weren’t even born, it still matters,” Irvin said. “Because that means it’s been carried on.”
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