Having spent three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Javon Hargrave faced off against the Dallas Cowboys six times while in the NFC East. Now, as a part of the San Francisco 49ers, his team is counting on Hargrave's experience in Philadelphia to provide an edge this weekend at Levi's Stadium.
The 49ers and Cowboys are set to meet for the 40th time in NFL history. It's a storied rivalry that has gained renewed intensity in recent years, albeit one-sided towards the 49ers. The frustrated Cowboys, eager for a victory, have seen their last two playoff runs end at the hands of the 49ers.
After Thursday's practice, cornerback Charvarius Ward was asked if there was any animosity between the two teams.
"Probably for them, not for us," Ward responded. "We won, so we good."
For Cowboys fans, nothing would be sweeter than finally earning a win over the 49ers. However, Hargrave's familiarity with Dallas may tip the scales in San Francisco's favor on Sunday. At least, that's what the 49ers hope.
"He's definitely talked about the things that he was able to do, they were able to do in the past, going against those guys twice a year," defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said on Thursday. "Him and [defensive line coach] Kris [Kocurek] talk all the time, and Kris and I, of course, collaborate and try to come up with the best formula upfront.
"Kris does a tremendous job with those guys in creating and coming up with the scheme that particular week, based off protections and those kind of things. So yes, we have got some tidbits from him, and hopefully, they come into play for us on Sunday."
When questioned about a similar advantage with the Cowboys having former 49ers quarterback Trey Lance in their meeting rooms, head coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed its significance.
"I mean, you can see the plays on tape," Shanahan said. "You can explain what we look at and stuff like that, which usually you can when you can stack up a lot of tape over years, and we've been here for a while, and previous [to Lance being drafted]. So hopefully, he's talking to them all the time and making them focus totally on that instead of the simple stuff of watching the tape."
