Cowboys at 49ers 8/9/18 - NFL Preseason Picks & Predictions

On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys will visit Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara to play the San Francisco 49ers in the opening game of the 2018 NFL preseason for both. This season the Cowboys will have quarterback Dak Prescott under center, while running back Ezekiel Elliott returns. The wide receiver and tight end positions will have new faces as Dez Bryant was released and Jason Witten retired. Cole Beasley and Terrance Williams are expected to be the two top receivers. The defense will be anchored by defense end Demarcus Lawrence, while oft-injured Sean Lee returns to strong side linebacker and the secondary will have new faces at both the corner and safety spots.

The Jimmy Garoppolo era continues at San Francisco as he starts his first full year with the team. The 49ers will be careful not to play Garoppolo too much during preseason, but C.J. Bethard, Jack Heneghan and Nick Mullens will all see action during the preseason to determine Garoppolo’s backup. Marquise Goodwin and Pierre Garcon will be the top two targets at wide receiver. Defensively, the 49ers will have Deforest Buckner anchoring the line, with top linebackers Reuben Foster, Malcolm Smith and Eli Harold behind Buckner. Adrian Colbert and Jaquiski Tartt will anchor the secondary. Prescott led the Cowboys in passing with 3,324 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Ezekiel Elliott led the running game for Dallas with 983 and 7 touchdowns despite being suspended for six games. Terrance Williams is the most productive returning wide receiver with stats from last season with 568 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns. Sean Lee lead the defense in tackles with 101, while Demarcus Lawrence was the sacks leader with 14.5 and Jeff Heath led in interceptions with three.

Jimmy Garoppolo led the 49ers with 1,560 yards passing, 7 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Last season’s leading rusher Carlos Hyde is gone and Jerick McKinnon signed from the Vikings will take his place. Marquise Goodwin led the team in receiving with 962 yards and 2 touchdowns. The leading tackler was Donate Johnson with 77, while the sacks leader was DeForest Buckner with three and Ahkello Witherspoon led in interceptions with two.