After being billed as the underdogs heading into the divisional round, the Cowboys will enter Sunday’s road game against the 49ers looking to prove NFL fans and oddsmakers wrong in a big way.
As of Wednesday, the betting odds tabbed San Francisco, the NFC’s No. 2 seed, as a 3.5-point favorite, further stacking the deck against No. 5 Dallas going into a contest facing a team that’s won its last 11 games. But, despite what the numbers may be saying about the Cowboys ahead of the game, coach Mike McCarthy made it clear on Friday that his team is not worried about perceived as the underdog.
In fact, McCarthy told reporters that the Cowboys are “very comfortable” with the label and are choosing to focus solely on winning and not the outside noise.
“We all like the fact that people are doubting you. I think that’s part of human nature,” McCarthy said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “I think that’s part of the dynamics of each and every one of us. We all come from somewhere. We’re very comfortable in this position. We’re clearly going there expecting to win. Make no bones about that. I understand that they have a job to do too. We know the type of environment we’re getting ready to go into.”
Sunday’s matchup in Santa Clara will mark the first time McCarthy has coached on the road against San Francisco during his three seasons with Dallas. The contest will also be a rematch from last season’s wild-card meeting that saw the Niners earn a 23-17 victory at AT&T Stadium.
After falling short at home a year ago, Dak Prescott and Co. will seek to avenge the loss against a 49ers team now led by the likes of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy and star running back Christian McCaffrey. The Niners have not lost a game since the seventh-round pick took over as the starter in Week 14, and finished the season with the NFL’s top-ranked defense.
“It’s gonna be a great environment,” McCarthy continued. “It’ll be a huge challenge. We’re counting on the Dallas Cowboys fans to show up. We know they will. But we’re playing a tremendous football team. We’re in tune with that. And we know the way we need to play and what we need to do to win the game.”
While McCarthy and the Cowboys may not agree with the “underdog” title, pulling off what would be an upset over the 49ers would be a resounding follow-up to Dallas’s decisive wild-card win over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers last week. Should they leave California victorious, the Cowboys would move on to the franchise’s first NFC championship game appearance since 1995.
Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
