My second favorite team is whoever is playing against the Cowboys.
Here are some things to watch in this week's game, mostly based on Football Outsiders' most recent numbers.
To start with, Dallas's defense has some holes that play to the 9ers' strengths. The 9ers' O-line ranks 5th in run blocking and should be able to open lanes against Dallas's 22nd-ranked run defense. Last week, Dallas's run defense showed some backbone, holding the league's top rusher to 68 yards. In their previous outing, the same defense allowed the Giants' 200 rushing yards and 12 rushing first downs. What the Giants did and the 'Skins failed to do was run up the gut on big Jay Ratliff. He's a 3-4 DT with 30 tackles and 6 sacks. That's not supposed to happen. Ratliff vs. Heitmann/Baas/Wragge/Rachal is the match-up to watch in this game.
In the air, Dallas's defense ranks 20th in stopping passes to TEs and 19th in stopping passes to RBs. The way the 9ers' O-line has been pass blocking since Shaun Hill stepped in, I'm confident the team can give Hill time to get the ball out to his receivers. If not, the TE and RB outlets should be available. When faced with a stout defense, Hill always seems to find his RB underneath. That's at least part of the reason Gore is second only to Reggie Bush in receiving yards by a RB. Look for Gore and Robinson to make a difference with their hands this week. That sounds kind of gross.
On defense, the 9ers have to play smart. On Sunday night, the Cowboys exploited the Skins' tendency to over-pursue by running misdirections every series, even on passing routes. The 9ers have that same over-pursuit weakness. They were run ragged earlier in the year by the Pats and the Eagles, who played that same scheme.
Against the pass, the 9ers have been the 6th best team at stopping TEs. Subtract the game in Seattle where John Carlson went gonzo and the defense is in the top 3 vs. the TE. That's big against Romo, who's completed more passes to Jason Witten than any other target. Speaking of Romo's other target, seen TO's numbers recently? He ranks 75th in the league in DYAR. That's worse that Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson, Arnaz Battle, Jason Hill, and Josh Morgan. Don't expect the 9ers to get any pressure on Romo. The 9ers' can't sack groceries.
There is no bigger discrepancy between the 9ers and the Cowboys than that on special teams. The 49ers rank 1st in the league in special teams DVOA going into week 12 and are strong in every area. The Cowboys rank 30th and are particularly weak in their kick off and punt coverage. That makes Allen Rossum the man to watch on special teams.
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