Clarence Hill: Who has the edge between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers

There is no question that the San Francisco 49ers have an advantage over the Dallas Cowboys heading into Sunday’s NFC Divisional playoff match up.

Not only are the 49ers, who are riding an 11-game winning streak, at home at Levi’s Stadium for the second straight week in the playoffs, but they have two extra days of rest and preparation than the Cowboys.

The 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks last Saturday night while the Cowboys are coming into the game on a short week after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.

And that is not even considering the Cowboys went from playing on the southeast coast on Monday night to flying across country to the Bay area on the west coast.

The Cowboys, however, are not complaining and accepting the task at hand.

Playing on a short week is not new to them and they have thrived in these situations under coach Mike McCarthy.

The Cowboys are 2-0 this season on short weeks that follow Monday Night Football.

McCarthy is 5-1 in his last six games on a six-day schedule and has the Cowboys, who were chosen to play on Monday night against the Buccaneers for the historic ratings, in the right mindset.

This is something they are used to and it comes with the dinner with America’s Team.

“The benefit for us really, if you look at our regular season schedule, I don’t know if there’s a schedule we haven’t worked on,” McCarthy said. “We’ve been on eight-day week, six-day week, seven-day week, Thursday night football, Sunday night football, Monday night football. Saturday afternoon football. All those experiences have served us well. I think the beauty of the six-day week is it goes fast. I’ve always liked that.This is nothing new for us. So we have that schedule. We won’t have the schedule that we don’t have experience in.”

More importantly, the Cowboys are embracing the challenge of the short week and being the underdog against the 49ers.

“We hear, ‘No way the Cowboys are going to win. No way’,” linebacker Micah Parson said. “Honestly, if they’re feeding that to you, you should love that stuff. Like when no one believes in you, that’s the best feeling. Like now when everyone believes in you and the Kool Aid is up and everyone’s smiling and they’re like, ‘They can’t lose. They’re too good,’ you don’t want that feeling because then it’s like, ‘Damn what if I don’t win.’ When you’re already at the bottom you can only go up. So I really like being the underdog and that feeling. It’s a great story always to tell.”

Who has the edge between the Cowboys and the 49ers:

Cowboys offense vs. 49ers defense

The 49ers defense is as formidable as advertised. It gets after the quarterback, led by NFL sack leader Nick Bosa and his 18.5 sacks. And it is stingy against the run, giving up just 77.7 yards per game. But it not impenetrable. The 49ers pass defense surrenders 223 yards per game through the air. That is an area quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys can exploit. The 49ers have no one that can cover receiver CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys offensive line must prove to be up the task and give Prescott time.

Edge: Cowboys

Cowboys defense vs. 49ers offense

Run defense has been an issue for the Cowboys all season and it will be a focal point against the 49ers. Not only must they find a way to contain Christian McCaffery but they must tackle Deebo Samuel as a runner and receiver. The 49ers have to contain Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who tasked with making life uncomfortable for rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. The Cowboys game plan is to stop the run and force Purdy to have have to make plays in the passing game.

Edge: 49ers

Special Teams

The biggest issue is Cowboys kicker Brett Maher who has missed five of his last six extra points, including four in last week’s wildcard win against the Buccaneers. Maher has kicked well in practice this week. But that doesn’t mean he can be trusted in Sunday’s game against the 49ers. The Cowboys won’t know that until game day. Contrast that the 49ers kicker Robbie Gould who is as reliable as they come. Gould is 25-for-25 on field-goal attempts all-time in the playoffs — the most attempts without a miss in NFL history — and he is 38-for-38 on PATs in his playoff career.

Edge: 49ers

Coaching

Kyle Shanahan has taken a team to the Super Bowl and has navigated the 49ers to the second-best record in the NFC with his third-string quarterback. The combination of Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn should be a factor Sunday. Quinn knows Shanahan’s schemes well from their days in Atlanta. McCarthy is a Super Bowl champion coach who has shown the ability to prepare the Cowboys for this moment.

Edge: Cowboys

Intangibles

The 49ers have won 11 straight games and have two extra days of rest on the Cowboys, who are on a short week after playing on Monday.

Edge: 49ers

Prediction: 49ers 28, Cowboys 27