:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38127652/125596728.0.jpg)
Must Reads
Must Reads
After all the waiting - the 2013 playoffs, the Super Bowl, the draft and free agency, OTAs and mini-camps, endless weeks when nothing was happening, training camps and preseason games - we are finally ready to start again. The Dallas Cowboys will begin their 2014 season by hosting the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium. The march towards the playoffs in 2014 begins on Sunday at 4:25 EST.
The Cowboys are trying to break free of what seems like a perpetual 8-8 season. Always playing down to the last game of the season, only to continually come up short of the playoffs. Will this season be different? If you listen to the experts, they think the Cowboys are doomed before they even start. But preseason predictions usually don't mean a thing. Once the teams take the field, the real football begins and we can start replacing speculation with experience.
Tony Romo and the offense are stocked. The offensive line looks like a strength, scoring points should not be the major issue for the Cowboys. The defense though, that's where the season should pivot. If they can improve on last year's dismal performance, the Cowboys may have something. If they can't, it is indeed an uphill battle.
The 49ers, on the other hand, have done everything but win a Super Bowl over the last few years. They've been a powerhouse in the NFC, but some predictions have the shine coming off a bit this year. The injuries and suspensions on defense have cost them a couple of their better defenders, but it's not like the cupboard is bare. On offense, they want to bludgeon teams with the run, then throw when they choose to, on their terms.
One team will walk away happy, optimistic for the new season. One team will go back to the drawing board and try to fix things for week two. Which team will be which? That's why they play the games.
More from our team sites
More from our team sites
Important links: Cowboys depth chart | Roster
Date: September 7, 2014
Game time: 4:25 PM EST
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington TX
TV channel: FOX (Do I get the game?)
Radio: 105.3 The Fan | Full listings
Online streaming: NFL Game Rewind (Watch only after Sunday broadcasts)
Injury report:
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
OUT T Anthony Davis (hamstring), C Marcus Martin (knee)
QUESTIONABLE WR Michael Crabtree (calf)
PROBABLE CB Chris Culliver (ankle), TE Vance McDonald (hamstring)
DALLAS COWBOYS
OUT DE Anthony Spencer (knee), T Darrion Weems (shoulder)
QUESTIONABLE G Zack Martin (foot), DT Terrell McClain (ankle), WR Terrance Williams (back)
PROBABLE QB Tony Romo (back), DE George Selvie (shoulder)
Odds: Dallas +4
Prediction: Cowboys 31 - 49ers 27
Enemy blog: Niners Nation
Twitter: @BloggingTheBoys
Facebook: Please "Like" BTB on Facebook