Getty Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys will face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round on a short week but head coach Mike McCarthy isn’t worried about it.
The Cowboys defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road Monday night and will head across the country to see the 49ers on Sunday. It’s not an ideal setup for a postseason run but McCarthy isn’t sweating it.
“TV is king,” said McCarthy, understanding that his Cowboys are always prime-time viewing.
McCarthy expanded on his answer and feels like the scheduling might even work in their favor.
“I think it’s going to serve us well. We’ll have less sleep, and we’ll be grumpy,” McCarthy quipped. “It’s not a concern. We’ve got plenty of time to get ready. We’re not stressed about it at all.”
Cowboys Don’t See Competitive Advantage for 49ers
At this point in the year, the Cowboys know what they’re bringing to the table, although they’ll have to prepare thoroughly to face the bevy of weapons the 49ers possess on both sides of the ball.
San Francisco looked sharp in their victory on Saturday against the Seahawks, surging in the second half to a 41-23 victory. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy racked up 332 yards and four touchdowns, running back Christian McCaffrey rolled up 119 yards on the ground with a 7.9 per carry average and wide receiver Deebo Samuel collected 133 yards and a score.
But as Jerry Jones pointed out, short weeks are nothing new for the Cowboys, who play annually on Thanksgiving. The outspoken owner didn’t see the disparity in time off as a disadvantage.
“Not at all. Not at all. That’s what we were dealt. We got to play in front of the nation. We got an extra day to get ready for [Monday],” Jones said after beating the Bucs. “Good thing. The result, we’ll go play on a short week. We’ve done that Thanksgiving Day, played short weeks. … I don’t see that being a disadvantage.”
Cowboys Eager For Some Revenge Against 49ers
The Cowboys notched their first postseason victory on the road in 30 years when they took down the Bucs and will now look to erase the stinging memory of last year’s playoff exit when they see the 49ers.
San Francisco ended Dallas’ season last year in the Wild Card round, toppling the Cowboys 23-17, something Dallas is eager to avenge.
“[For] me and this team, that’s a scar,” quarterback Dak Prescott said on Monday. “That one hurts. It will hurt for the rest of my career, and it will be a motivation throughout my career, just to make sure I’m preparing the right way, leaving no doubt in the preparation.
“So just being able to get [the 49ers] again … this thing’s set up just for us — playing teams that have beat us, teams that we’re familiar with. So it’s important for us now, as I said, to capitalize on this preparation, take it one day at a time and make sure we’re ready to go as we work for this one.”
The 49ers opened as a 3.5-point favorite against the Cowboys.