San Francisco 49ers’ Head Coach Jim Harbaugh is now facing a very real team with a chance to show a very real West Coast Offense to the Dallas Cowboys – and, a very impatient 49ers’ fan base.
Sure, Harbaugh could play another conservative game, lose and have the rookie head coach reality carry him past the panic button. However, this is a defining moment for the new coach – and an underdog win over the cowboys would be a defining win as he starts his career.
As former 49ers’ NFL Hall of Fame player Ronnie Lott said, “He needs to change the culture,” and a win Sunday night would not only give a small step, but a giant leap for 49ers-kind in that direction.
Make no doubt about it; the 49ers and the Cowboys have defined themselves - not only as Super Bowl champions – but also as dynasties with victories over one anther.
From the catch in 1982, to three consecutive NFC championship game appearances in ’93, ’94, and ’95, the rivalry has been staged in the spotlight and immortalized by the history books.
…Back to reality.
The Niner are 1-0 and haven’t been to the playoff since the ’02-’03 NFL season, and the Cowboys have only won one playoff game since 1996.
For the cowboys, the 49ers don’t stand as a hurdle, but a slip-up. A loss Sunday would mean the Cowboys would, yet again, turn high hopes into disappointment in anther season touting Super Bowl contention.
For the 49ers, hopes have been quite a spectrum in recent years. But a win Sunday would certainly be a change of pace, in a type of game the 49ers have been conditioned to expect as a loss.
While this 49ers/Cowboys match up isn’t on a big stage, the memories and emotions of the great bouts between the two will be in the air. And, should either team find significant success this season, they’ll certainly point to this game a critical win, plus bragging rights, until the next time the two face off.
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