Jerry Jones knows exactly what the Dallas Cowboys are up against when they face the 49ers this Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
But despite calling San Francisco the favorite to win Super Bowl LX on Tuesday, the Cowboys owner and general manager feels good about the matchup.
"I look at it as we know they're one of, if not the, teams who are playing the best right now," Jones told 105.3 The Fan's "Shand and RJ" show. "They're solid in their personnel, so they're one of the best teams. A win against them would be inspiring, and it would be substantive. It's what it is, and 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 later in the year."
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Jones doesn't view the upcoming Week 5 clash as a test or a measure of where Dallas stands talent-wise, but defeating San Francisco less than a year after they eliminated his team from the playoffs for a second straight season certainly would give the Cowboys a clue of how their postseason aspirations measure up.
While quarterback Dak Prescott flinched this week at the mention of the Cowboys' divisional-round loss to the 49ers last season, noting they use the defeat as motivation "every day," Jones believes Dallas should focus on themselves as a rematch approaches.
"Make no mistake about it -- they are a tremendous team, outstanding defense, and will challenge us as much as anybody that, frankly, we've been challenged with this year or any other year," Jones said. "... We need to worry about execution and need to worry about ourselves, and not so much about 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 goes in the playoffs. The bottom line is you're playing the best. You don't need the game to tell you that you're playing the best."
San Francisco 49ers
Jones believes the Cowboys' defense is better this season than they were when they lost to the 49ers in January, and he feels as good about their Prescott-led offense as he has all season. On Monday, Dallas offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said the Cowboys will pick former 49ers quarterback Trey Lance's brain for any intel they can gather on San Francisco's game plan.
If the Cowboys can "execute" when they play 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and his loaded roster, Jones believes they have a fighting chance against their undefeated rivals.
"We're going to need some wind early with San Francisco, but -- let me back up -- there's no reason physically, no reason scheme-wise we shouldn't go out there and play well enough to win a football game," Jones said.