DALLAS — The hottest rivalry in the NFL in the ‘90s couldn’t live up to a game between the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns as the contest between the Dallas Cowboys and the visiting San Francisco 49ers was flexed out of primetime for Week 15.
Nevertheless, the game remains important for the long-dwindling playoff hopes for Dallas. At 4-9, if some very unlikely, specific things happen in the final three weeks of the season, the Cowboys can take home their second consecutive NFC crown and the playoff game that comes with it.
Meanwhile, the 49ers have had a disappointing, injury-filled 2020 season following their Super Bowl LIV appearance 10 months ago. At 5-8, San Francisco has not yet been eliminated from playoff consideration but they’re in the same boat as Dallas where they will need to win out and get some help.
Here are 100 facts and stats as the Cowboys renew the rivalry with the Niners for the 37th game in the series:
Series facts
The Cowboys are 4-9 for the fifth time in franchise history. None of the previous four teams made the playoffs (2000, 2001, 2010, 2015).
-Since 1990, 0 of 102 teams that started 5-9 made the playoffs. 23 of 102 of them lost their two remaining games.
-Since 1990, 0 of 78 teams that started 4-10 made the playoffs. 41 of 78 of them lost their two remaining games.
-The 49ers are 5-8 for the 10th time in club history. None of those previous nine teams made the playoffs (1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2010).
-Since 1990, 4 of 108 teams that started 6-8 made the playoffs with 2 of those 4 winning their division.
-The Cowboys are 18-17-1 against the 49ers with an 8-8-1 record at home.
-That 8-8-1 record at home against the 49ers includes this breakdown by venue:
Cotton Bowl: 1-1-1
Texas Stadium: 7-6
AT&T Stadium: 0-1
-The Cowboys are 3-4 against the 49ers in December with a 1-1 record at home.
-Since 1970, the Cowboys are 154-114 in early afternoon games with a 72-40 record at home.
-Since 1970, the 49ers are 97-105-1 in early afternoon games with a 95-105-1 record on the road.
-The Cowboys are 124-104-1 in December, including the playoffs, with a 62-43 record at home.
-The 49ers are 155-102-2 in December, including the playoffs, with a 56-55 record on the road.
-San Francisco is 94-101-2 in the Central Time Zone, including the playoffs, with a 36-44 record in early afternoon games.
Andy Dalton facts
-Dalton is tied with Philip Rivers for the eighth-lowest intended air yards per pass attempt at 7.0.
-Dalton is tied with Mitch Trubisky and Justin Herbert for the fifth-lowest completed air yards per pass attempt at 3.5.
-Dalton is tied with Alex Smith for the eighth-highest interception percentage in the league with 2.7.
-Dalton is tied for the fifth-highest red zone interceptions with two.
-Dalton is tied for the sixth-most interceptions on first down with four.
-Among quarterbacks with at least 50 first down passes, Dalton has the lowest passer rating at 69.6.
-Dalton’s 167.5 passing yards per game are the second-fewest among quarterbacks who have started multiple games this season.
-Dalton has the eighth-lowest passer rating in the NFL at 83.9.
-Dalton is 1 of 14 and 1 of 18 quarterbacks this season with multiple fourth quarter comebacks and game-winning drives this season.
-Dalton is 0-2 against the 49ers with a 69.0 passer rating.
-The last time Dalton won consecutive games as a starter was in 2018 when he led the Cincinnati Bengals to wins in Weeks 4 & 5.
Nick Mullens facts
-Mullens is tied with Derek Carr, Matthew Stafford, and Teddy Bridgewater for the 10th-highest yards per pass attempt at 7.6.
-Mullens has the third-lowest intended air yards per pass attempt at 6.1.
-Mullens has the 10th-highest yards per completion at 11.7.
-Mullens is tied for the eighth-lowest completed air yards per pass attempt at 3.6.
-Mullens has the ninth-lowest passer rating in the league at 85.7.
-Mullens is tied with Cam Newton, Justin Herbert, and Kyler Murray for the eighth-most interceptions with 10.
-Mullens is tied with Russell Wilson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Daniel Jones for the most red zone interceptions with three.
-Mullens is tied with Bridgewater, Newton, and Herbert for the eighth-most sacks on first down with nine.
-Mullens has benefited from 1,169 yards after the catch, the most among quarterbacks with 10 starts or fewer.
-Mullens has been blitzed on 98 of his drop backs, which represents 31.8% of his drop backs, the highest blitz percentage in the NFL.
-Mullens is 1-3 against the NFC East with a 1-1 record in road and neutral site games.
Ezekiel Elliot facts
-Elliott has the eighth-most rushing yards in the league with 832.
-Elliott has picked up the third-most first downs on the ground with 55.
-Among running backs with at least 150 carries, Elliott’s 3.9 yards per carry is the fourth-lowest in the league.
-Among running backs with at least 150 carries, Elliott’s 64.0 rushing yards per game are the 10th-lowest in the NFL.
-Elliott has picked up 426 yards after contact, the ninth-most in the NFL.
-Elliott has taken the seventh-most red zone carries with 38.
-Elliott has taken the eighth-most first down carries with 121.
-Elliott has tallied 506 rushing yards on first down, the ninth-most in the NFL.
-Among running backs, Elliott’s 14 third down conversions on the ground are the third-most in the NFL.
-Elliott’s 21 rushes on third down are the second-most in the league among running backs.
Mike McCarthy facts
-McCarthy was offensive coordinator for the 49ers in 2005 under rookie coach Mike Nolan, the current Dallas defensive coordinator.
-McCarthy is 4-9 for the first time in his career.
-McCarthy is 5-4 against the 49ers with a 3-2 record at home.
-McCarthy’s 5-4 record against the 49ers is his second-best against any NFC West opponent:
Rams: .625 (5-3)
49ers: .555 (5-4)
Seahawks: .500 (6-6)
Cardinals: .375 (3-5)
-McCarthy is 36-18 in December with a 22-5 record at home.
-McCarthy is 67-53-1 against playoff-winning coaches with a 40-15-1 record at home.
-McCarthy is 14-7 against backup quarterbacks with an 11-4 record at home.
-McCarthy is 8-20-1 with a backup quarterback with a 3-13-1 record at home.
-McCarthy is 48 for 95 on challenges with a 1 for 2 record in 2020.
Kyle Shanahan facts
-In 2017, Shanahan started his career 0-6. The last 49ers rookie coach to do so was Bill Walsh in 1979, Walsh also led San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance in his third season.
-Shanahan is 3-6 against the NFC East with a 2-2 record on the road.
-Shanahan is 0-1 against the Cowboys, a 40-10 loss on Oct. 22, 2017, at Levi’s Stadium.
-Shanahan is 14 for 24 on challenges with a 3 for 5 record in 2020.
Broadcast facts
-The Cowboys and 49ers haven’t played a prime time game together since Nov. 11, 1990, when San Francisco beat Dallas at Texas Stadium 24-6 on ESPN Sunday Night Football.
-This is the 20th time a Cowboys versus 49ers contest will be on CBS, including the playoffs. Here is the Cowboys’ record in the series broken down by network:
CBS: 10-8-1
ABC: 1-1
FOX: 7-7
ESPN: 0-1
-The last time the Cowboys and 49ers played on CBS was the 1993 NFC Championship Game.
-Since CBS took over the AFC package, the Cowboys are 25-18 on that network. Overall, the Cowboys are 292-195-6 on CBS, including the postseason.
-This week’s commentator pair is Kevin Harlan and Trent Green, making them the 25th different pairing in the series.
-The Cowboys are 2-1 with Harlan.
-The Cowboys have never had Green as a commentator.
-Pat Summerall has called the most games in this series of any broadcast talent with 15, with two of those games featuring Jack Buck as the play-by-play.
-This is the 14th early game in the series, including playoffs, and the 12th in Dallas.
Land Clark facts
-This week’s referee is Land Clark, who is in his second year as an NFL official and first as a referee.
-Clark is taking over Walt Anderson’s crew as the Sugar Land native retired during the 2020 offseason.
-While the Cowboys have never had Clark to date, the 49ers had Clark on Oct. 11, a 43-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. San Francisco had more penalties: 7/75 to 7/69. There were no challenges in that game.
-Clark is tied for the fifth-highest home team winning percentage at .583.
-Clark has the absolute lowest percentage of home teams having fewer penalties at .250.
-Clark’s games have the second-most sacks per game with 5.4 per contest.
-Clark is tied for the fifth-highest offensive holding calls per game with 2.1 per contest.
-Clark is middle of the pack in terms of challenge overturn rate at 4 for 7 (.571).
Miscellaneous facts
-Amari Cooper has the 10th-most receptions in the NFL with 80.
-Four interceptions have been thrown when targeting Cooper, tied for the sixth-most in the NFL.
-Deebo Samuel has the highest yards after the catch per reception at 12.1.
-Jaylon Smith has the second-most combined tackles with 123.
-DeMarcus Lawrence and Donovan Wilson are tied for the seventh-most forced fumbles with three apiece.
-The Cowboys are tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears for seventh-fewest takeaways with 14.
-The Cowboys defense is tied with the Jaguars and New England Patriots for the ninth-fewest penalties with 69.
-The 49ers defense is tied with the New York Giants for the fifth-fewest penalties with 66.
-The 49ers have had the fewest missed tackles with 59.
-San Francisco has generated 23 sacks, the 10th-most in the league.
-The Cowboys have dialed up a blitz 107 times, tied with the Patriots for the fourth-fewest in the NFL.
-The 49ers have given up 1,310 yards after the catch, the third-fewest in the league.
-The Cowboys have given up 1,355 yards after the catch, the sixth-fewest in the NFL.
-The Cowboys are tied with the Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, and New York Jets for the most passing touchdowns surrendered with 28.
-Dallas has generated 43 tackles for loss, tied with the Titans for the fifth-fewest in the league.
-Opponents have compiled a 104.2 passer rating against the Cowboys, the fifth-highest in the NFL.
-Dallas gives up 162.7 rushing yards per game, the most in the NFL.
-San Francisco surrenders 105.8 rushing yards per game, the eighth-most overall.
-The Cowboys give up 5.1 yards per carry, the most in the league.
-The 49ers are tied with the Jets for the fourth-fewest yards per carry at 3.9.
-The Cowboys have the fourth-highest kickoff return yardage on average at 25.8.
-The Cowboys are 2-1 on Dec. 20. Here are the results:
1970 – OTI, 52-10 – W
1998 – PHI, 13-9 – W
2008 – RAV, 24-33 – L
-The 49ers are on Dec. 20. Here are the results:
1970 – @RAI, 38-7 – W
1981 – @NO, 21-17 – W
1987 – ATL, 35-7 – W
1998 – @NE, 21-24 – L
2009 – @PHI, 13-27 – L
2014 – SDG, 35-38 – L-OT
2015 – CIN, 14-24 – L
-The Cowboys have five birthdays to celebrate on Dec. 20:
1942 – Bob Hayes, WR, 1965-74
1957 – Don Smerek, DT, 1981-87
1961 – Nate Newton, G, 1986-98
1981 – Roy Williams, WR, 2008-10
1996 – Joe Jackson, DE, 2019
-The Cowboys also have one death to remember on Dec. 20. In 2015, former receiver Ray Mathews passed away. Mathews played on the inaugural 1960 team, his only year with the Cowboys.
Do you think the Cowboys will be able to hold off the Niners from tying the all-time series? Share your favorite facts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
