Previewing 49ers vs. Cowboys

Niners, a four-point favorite in this one. With some insight, we climb inside the huddle with our good friend and insider, Rob Statz-Guerrero. Rob, good morning. Good morning, Frank. All right, well, the shine has been off the Cowboys star for a number of years, but when these two teams meet, I guess it really doesn't matter, right? It's the old enemy coming back to town, right? For 49ers fans of a certain age, there is no amount of time that the Niners can beat the Cowboys where you would ever be satisfied. The Niners probably have a couple more championships if not for the Dallas Cowboys. So I never get tired of putting a beat down on Big D. Yeah, it's an all-helmet game, too. I love the two helmets and the colors. They're contrasting. Let's talk about two welcome additions to the Niner receiving core. Cal product Keenan Allen picked up in a trade for Mindy. Do you think there's still some gas in the tank? What's this season number 14 for him? Look, they want Keenan Allen for a very specific reason. They need someone to do essentially what Jaquan Jennings did for them, which is be a reliable target underneath on third down. That's what you're using Keenan Allen for. You're not going to ask him to run, you know, 50 yards down the field and beat somebody over the top. That's not what his ancient bones are going to help with. What he's going to help with is moving the chains, being a reliable target that Brock Purdy can depend on. How about Debo? We haven't seen him at three games. He's back. What's he going to bring to the offense today? I think he's going to bring the physicality and the attitude is quite honestly what he brings more than anything. He loves playing against the Dallas Cowboys. You remember a couple of years ago in the playoffs when he told Kyle, give me the ball. And then he stuck it in the end zone on that tremendous run. They're going to be able to use him in a variety of different ways just to give opposing defenses something extra to worry about. And I think Deebo's going to have a big game today. Yeah, I agree. Bosa, Buckner last week produced zero sacks, but they had a dozen pressures, each with a couple of those. Dak Prescott, I have a feeling it's going to be a little busy running away from those two guys again. Well, I sure hope so. And pressures are great, and we all like that. But sometimes you just need to get the quarterback on the ground. And, you know, I would really like to see more of that, especially from 97. That guy's making a lot of money. His contract jumps up to $55 million cap hit next season. You've got to start producing like a $55 million a year player. So pressures are good and cool, but it sure would be nice to see you take down Dak Prescott. Yeah, and this team can score. They're averaging 27 points a game. So we shall see. Tackle Trent Williams. Any news on him? I know he was out a couple of days with a right shoulder. Yeah, Trent hurt his shoulder in practice on Thursday, but he is expected to play today against the Dallas Cowboys, which is obviously very good. And hopefully he can get through this game because after Sunday, the Niners have the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks, two incredible defenses. You are really going to need Trent Williams in line for those two. CeeDee Lamb, 195 yards last week, taking on Indy, the guy's the real deal. How do you shut him down, especially with a couple of corners that are dinged up? Yeah, that's the scary part for the 49ers. CeeDee Lamb is excellent, and he's probably going to get his today. We've seen receivers against the 49ers have big days. Even in games, the blowout games, the 49ers have won. I think it's going to be tough to stop CeeDee Lamb. I would say the best way to do it is to get that pressure on Dak Prescott. We'll have to see if the Niners can do it today. All right, and how about a stat? You're the stat guy. What number should we be keeping an eye on? 85 percent. That is the percentage of red zone trips that the 49ers have turned into touchdowns this season. Excuse me. It is absurdly good that they are scoring touchdowns on that many of their red zone trips. No other team in the league is above 72 percent. And quickly, 10 seconds, Fernando Mendoza, Cal product. He plays today. First startup in Seattle. Welcome to the NFL. Here's the best defense in the league. Good luck, Fernando. Yeah, we'll see how that all works out. But I know a lot of folks here in the Bay are rooting for him. How do we find your podcasts? Just search 49ers Gold Standard wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. That's Rob Guerrero, co-host of the Gold Standard 49ers podcast. Always a pleasure. Enjoy the football, Rob. We appreciate it. Thanks, Frank. All righty. And don't forget that Niner game against Dallas live right here over on KTVU, actually, since we're on the stream at 1:25 kickoff. Rosemary? Yeah.