In the eyes of many NFL observers, the San Francisco 49ers currently wear the crown of the league's finest.
The 49ers have ousted the Dallas Cowboys from the playoffs in each of the last two postseasons, setting up a pivotal Week 5 matchup between the two NFC heavyweights. Even though it's just a regular-season game, a win over the team that has repeatedly dashed their postseason hopes would be deeply meaningful for the Cowboys.
It's an opportunity for Dallas to prove they are true Super Bowl contenders.
"I look at it as we know they're one of, if not the team that is playing the best right now," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week on 105.3 The Fan, per Logan Mullen of Audacy. "They're solid in their personnel, so they're one of the best teams. A win against them would be inspiring; it would be substantive, so it's just what it is. We are going to have to go by them beginning Sunday, and if we have aspirations, I think we'll have to go by them again later in the year."
The 49ers currently stand as one of the last two undefeated teams (Eagles), fresh off a commanding 35-16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are also coming off an impressive win themselves, pummeling the New England Patriots 38-3 on Sunday, making amends for an unexpected Week 3 loss to the Cardinals.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted this week that the Cowboys present a tough challenge, likely the 49ers' toughest of the season. The coach was asked why he believed that to be the case.
"Just how their pass rush [is], how fast they play," Shanahan responded. "I mean, [defensive coordinator] Dan Quinn is as good as anyone at the D-line. Just in general, I think one of the biggest tests for every team in the NFL is how much better you get each game because the lack of practice and stuff that big people get in the season compared to what it takes to be ready. It's just not enough.
"And no one's ever there in Week 1, especially up front, run blocking, pass blocking. You need a lot more reps of that to get better as a unit. That's why it's so important that, in these games, the more games you can stay healthy and the more games you can play together, usually you get better throughout the year."
San Francisco will host Dallas this weekend at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers are currently 3.5-point favorites.
"Make no mistake about it, they're a tremendous team," Jones continued. "Outstanding defense, and will challenge us as much as anybody that, frankly, we've been challenged with this year or any other year. They've certainly got that. Frankly, we need to worry about execution and worry about ourselves and not so much what they are. Because they are right now probably the most likely team to go win the Super Bowl. But in order for them to get there, they've got to go by us, hopefully, two times if that's the way it falls in the playoffs, and we're in the playoffs, of course.
"But the bottom line is you're playing the best. You don't need the game to tell you you're playing the best, but you need the game to show you how you stack up against the best."