The 49ers and Dallas Cowboys will face off in a big matchup on Sunday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium, and no one knows both teams better than quarterback Trey Lance.
After Lance was selected by the 49ers with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the North Dakota State player struggled to find his footing in San Francisco and a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season wiped out his first season as a starter.
Lance was buried on the 49ers’ depth chart in training camp behind starter Brock Purdy and backup Sam Darnold, leading to a preseason trade to the Cowboys, where he finds himself in a similar situation behind starter Dak Prescott and backup Cooper Rush.
In a call with reporters on Wednesday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked how much Lance can tell the Cowboys about San Francisco’s offense after Dallas offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told reporters on Tuesday that the Cowboys are committed to the Preparation for Sunday’s game will rely on Lance.
“As much as most coaches can do,” Shanahan said. “You can look at the plays on tape, you can explain what we’re seeing and stuff like that, which you can usually do when you’ve accumulated a lot of tape over the years and we’ve been here for a while. Hopefully it’s him. I talk to them all the time and make sure they’re fully focused on what they’re doing instead of just watching the tape.”
49ers defensive end Nick Bosa expressed a similar sentiment, downplaying Lance’s influence on the Cowboys’ game-planning.
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“They have Trey, so I’m sure they have an idea [of our plan].”
Nick Bosa jokes about the familiarity between the 49ers and Cowboys pic.twitter.com/Z9ZN84JCs0
– 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 4, 2023
“Yeah, I think we have an idea of what they’re going to do and they have Trey, so I’m sure they have an idea… I don’t know, I think the NFL is a copycat league and everyone knows.” Nearly everything. But obviously they don’t know about fixtures and we don’t, so there will be some surprises.”
The 49ers and Cowboys have faced each other in the playoffs each of the last two seasons and should already know each other.
San Francisco has won both meetings and will look to continue its winning streak against its former arch-rival on Sunday in what could be one of the best games of the entire season.
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