The Dallas Cowboys will open their season on September 7th by hosting the San Francisco 49ers, and both teams will really want to put 1 in the win column to start the season.
Time: 1:00 Pacific , 4:00 Eastern
Where: AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Television: Fox Network
The Dallas Cowboys finished 0-4 in the preseason, after being slowed down by numerous defensive injuries. On the offensive side of the ball, Tony Romo will return as the starting quarterback and wide receiver Dez Bryant will likely be his top receiving threat, but he still has tight end Jason Witten, also.
In the backfield, running backs DeMarco Murray, Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle will be the workhorses, with Murray expected by most to be the mainstay-feature back.
The defensive is where things get dicey for the boys. They are already depleted by injury in the preseason, after struggling last season, too. Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and defensive end Jason Hatcher left in free agency, and inside linebacker Sean Lee is out for the season with a torn ACL.
To make matters worse, cornerback Orlando Scandrick was suspended four games for substance abuse and rookie defensive end Demarcus Lawrence will be out with a broken foot for 8-12 games, depending on how it heals.
The 49ers were strong last season, but lost in the NFC Championship to the Seattle Seahawks. They have had some issue this season that may make it tough for them to return to glory.
Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers.
The offseason has also been filled with distractions, most recently with defensive end Ray McDonald being arrested for domestic violence, and lineman Alex Boone holding out of training camp because of his contract. Boone has since signed a new contract, and will probably start for the 49ers, but his issues with management speak to how the 49ers administration has handled some of the keys to their success lately. Boone is a great player, and deserved to be paid more than he was making, and the 49ers should have made that happen without all the drama. Even coach Jim Harbaugh has had to deal with management drama that should have never been an issue.
More off the field bad behavior than Mcdonald's issues have occurred, too, with outside linebacker Aldon Smith being suspended for nine games for a series of arrests. Also, inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman is still sidelined with nagging injury.
Prediction: No matter the troubles the 49ers' have had, they should still be able to easily handle the defenseless Cowboys. San Francisco 35 - Dallas 13
