The 49ers (7-2) host the Dallas Cowboys (7-2) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff. Troy Aikman is the Cowboys' starter. Emmitt Smith is the back. Michael Irvin is the WR1. The Cowboys come off back-to-back wins.
Elvis Grbac starts at quarterback for the 49ers with Steve Young again on the injury report. Loville and Vardell share the backfield. Brent Jones is at tight end.[1][2]
Elvis Grbac starts at quarterback Sunday at 3Com Park against the Dallas Cowboys. The rivalry matchup that, in calendar 1996, beat reporters have been pointing toward since the offseason. Troy Aikman is in his eighth year. Steve Young is on the injury report. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the marquee home game of the calendar. The Cowboys' offense, with Aikman, Smith and Irvin, has produced 24 points per game across the first nine.
Week 11 has the conference's marquee home matchup plus a slate where the playoff race is settling. The Cowboys are 7-2; the Packers 8-1; the Panthers 7-3. The AFC East has the Patriots at 9-1 and the Bills 7-3. In the divisional standings, the storyline is the 49ers-Cowboys rivalry, the seventh consecutive calendar year these franchises have played at least once.
Through nine games the 49ers sit at 7-2 with a plus 85 point differential. Grbac is the listed starter. Bryant Young has 10 sacks. The Cowboys are 7-2 with Aikman averaging 230 passing per game and Emmitt Smith 4.1 a carry. Vegas opens the 49ers as 3-point home favorites. Watching today: the rivalry's defensive front matchup.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-2 | W2 |
| Houston Oilers | 5-4 | L2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3-6 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-6 | W2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-6 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 6-3 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 6-3 | W3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5-4 | L3 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-5 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 1-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 8-1 | W5 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-3 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-4 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-5 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-5 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-2 | W3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 5-4 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2-7 | L2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-7 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 1-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 8-1 | W5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-4 | L3 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-5 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-5 | L3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-8 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-2 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-2 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-4 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 4-5 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-6 | -- |
Troy Aikman threw for 230 yards and a touchdown, Eric Bjornson caught 8 for 45 with a touchdown and the Dallas Cowboys beat the 49ers 20-17 at 3Com Park. Elvis Grbac threw for 88 yards with two interceptions. Terry Kirby ran for 55 on 12 carries with a touchdown. Emmitt Smith ran for 81 on 26 carries. The 49ers trailed 14-3 at halftime.[1][2]
Eric Bjornson caught a 19-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys beat the 49ers 20-17 at 3Com Park. The rivalry meeting ends with Dallas snapping the 49ers' four-game rivalry winning streak. Elvis Grbac threw for 88 yards on 17 attempts with two interceptions before being pulled for Steve Stenstrom in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers' offense produced 17 points on three Wade Richey field goals and a Terry Kirby touchdown. The defensive front produced one sack of Troy Aikman. Emmitt Smith ran for 81 against the front rotation that had been the unit's strength.
The 49ers walk away 7-3 with the home game against Baltimore on Sunday next. The home record drops to 4-1. The wire copy is going to spend the column on the rivalry loss. The film room is going to spend the week on the pass protection scheme against the Cowboys' front.
Cowboys 20, 49ers 17. Margin: minus 3. Record: 7-3.
A 20-17 home loss to the Cowboys. The 49ers fall to 7-3 with the four-game rivalry winning streak snapped.
How it unfolded
The Cowboys opened with an Aikman touchdown to Michael Irvin. A Wade Richey field goal cut it to 7-3. Smith ran in a touchdown to make it 14-3 at the half. The third quarter saw a Cowboys field goal to push it to 17-3. Kirby ran in a touchdown to cut it to 17-10. A Cowboys field goal made it 20-10. Uwaezuoke caught a fourth-quarter touchdown to cut it to 20-17. The 49ers' closing drive ended in a Grbac interception.
The turning point
The fourth-quarter Grbac interception. With the 49ers down 20-17 and the offense facing third-and-eight at the Dallas 43 with 2:13 to play, Grbac threw a pick. The 49ers' closing drive ended on the turnover.
By the numbers
Grbac 10-of-17 for 88 with two interceptions before being pulled. Stenstrom finished. Kirby 55 rushing on 12 carries with the touchdown. Floyd 55 rushing on 10 carries plus 36 receiving. Rice 5 catches for 49. Defensively the front produced one sack of Aikman.
Personnel watch
Grbac's afternoon is the headline. The third-year backup's two-pick performance was the structural concern. The Cowboys' defensive front, with Charles Haley still on the field, produced two sacks. Defensively Bryant Young registered his 11th sack of the year. The linebacker rotation held Emmitt Smith below 4.0 a carry.
What it means
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Elvis Grbac | 10/17 | 88 | 0 | 2 | |
| Steve Young #8 | 7/13 | 83 | 1 | 0 | |
| DAL | |||||
| Troy Aikman | 24/39 | 230 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terry Kirby | 12 | 55 | 1 | 27 |
| William Floyd | 10 | 55 | 0 | 11 |
| Steve Young #8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Dexter Carter | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| DAL | ||||
| Emmitt Smith | 26 | 81 | 0 | 16 |
| Troy Aikman | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Sherman Williams | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Daryl Johnston | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 5 | 49 | 0 | 17 |
| Iheanyi Uwaezuoke | 2 | 39 | 1 | 29 |
| William Floyd | 4 | 36 | 0 | 16 |
| Ted Popson | 2 | 24 | 0 | 21 |
| Terry Kirby | 3 | 18 | 0 | 16 |
| Terrell Owens | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| DAL | ||||
| Michael Irvin | 6 | 88 | 0 | 28 |
| Eric Bjornson | 8 | 45 | 1 | 11 |
| Deion Sanders | 2 | 34 | 0 | 27 |
| Daryl Johnston | 5 | 33 | 0 | 16 |
| Kelvin Martin | 2 | 19 | 0 | 10 |
| Emmitt Smith | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
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