Cowboys-49ers Rivalry: History, Stats, Picks and Viewing Guide

WHO:

49ers.com - The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are the teams in the rivalry; San Francisco leads the all-time series 21-19-1 and has won four consecutive meetings.

49ers.com - Joe Montana threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Dwight Clark; Jim Stuckey recovered a fumble on Dallas’ final drive in the NFC Championship Game known as “The Catch.”

49ers.com - Charles Haley played for San Francisco from 1986 to 1991, winning two Super Bowls, then won three more with Dallas. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

49ers.com - Other players who wore both teams’ uniforms include Ken Norton Jr., Deion Sanders, Larry Allen, Trey Lance, and Terrell Owens. Osa Odighizuwa played five seasons for Dallas before San Francisco acquired him in a trade.

dallascowboys.com - Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said, “I want to beat them absolutely,” and, “We’ve got to go get a win this week.”

dallascowboys.com - Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker said, “At the end of the day, that’s a really good football team coming in.”

dallascowboys.com - Staff writers Nick, Tommy, Josh, and Patrik each predicted a 49ers victory; their projected scores were 38-27, 34-24, 42-17, and 31-28, respectively.

Pro Football Network - The article identifies Cowboys insider Clarence Hill Jr. as reacting to a remark by 49ers tight end George Kittle; it does not provide the remark’s wording.

WHAT:

49ers.com - The teams’ first meeting ended in a 26-14 San Francisco win. They have met six times in NFC Championship Games: Dallas won the 1970 and 1971 season matchups; San Francisco won the 1981 and 1994 season matchups, while Dallas won the 1992 and 1993 season matchups.

49ers.com - In the 1981 NFC Championship Game, Montana’s touchdown pass to Clark with 51 seconds left helped San Francisco win 28-27 and advance to its first Super Bowl; the 49ers beat Cincinnati in Super Bowl XVI.

49ers.com - Dallas lost to San Francisco 23-17 in a 2021 NFC Wild Card game and 19-12 in the following season’s Divisional Round. The 2021 game ended after Prescott ran to the San Francisco 24-yard line and Dallas failed to snap the ball before time expired.

49ers.com - San Francisco beat Dallas 38-28 in the 1994 NFC Championship Game. Owens scored against Dallas in 2000, celebrated on the midfield star, and was pushed off it by safety George Teague.

dallascowboys.com - Dallas entered the matchup 4-5; San Francisco was 7-1 and tied for the NFL’s best record with Buffalo. Dallas had lost four straight games to San Francisco, including regular-season losses of 42-10 and 30-24.

dallascowboys.com - The Cowboys led the NFL in penalty yards, with 667 and an average of more than 74 yards per game.

dallascowboys.com - San Francisco averaged 29 points per game, compared with Dallas’ 27; the 49ers had 12 rushing touchdowns and 17 passing touchdowns, converted 51.7% of third downs, and succeeded on eight of 11 fourth-down attempts.

dallascowboys.com - Dallas had 17 sacks, including 13 across its previous five games, plus 28 quarterback hits and six takeaways. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy had been sacked eight times.

dallascowboys.com - Dallas’ viewing guide listed FOX Sports, FOX 4 DFW, and NFL+; national radio coverage was Compass Media, and local English radio was KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan and the Cowboys app.

WHERE:

49ers.com - The teams’ upcoming meeting is at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Their first meeting was at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas; “The Catch” occurred at Candlestick Park.

dallascowboys.com - The viewing guide listed AT&T Stadium as the game location and Arlington, Texas, as the city.

WHEN:

dallascowboys.com - The viewing guide lists kickoff at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026.

49ers.com - San Francisco acquired Odighizuwa in a trade on March 11, 2026.

49ers.com - The upcoming game marks the 42nd meeting between the teams.

WHY:

dallascowboys.com - Cowboys writers cited San Francisco’s consistency, balanced offense, and disciplined play as reasons for predicting a 49ers win. They said Dallas would need to limit penalties and turnovers and improve its defense to compete.

HOW:

dallascowboys.com - The Mailbag article said Dallas could try to challenge San Francisco with pre-snap motion, underneath passes, running back Bijan Robinson, and turnovers. It cited Atlanta using motion on 70% of its snaps against the 49ers.

dallascowboys.com - The broadcast listing named Kevin Burkhardt as play-by-play announcer, Tom Brady as analyst, and Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi as sideline reporters.

San Francisco visits Dallas, leading their rivalry and carrying a four-game winning streak. The 49ers are 7-1, while the Cowboys enter 4-5 after four straight losses. The teams meet at AT&T Stadium on November 15, 2026.