Prescott, Cowboys vs. Kittle, 49ers Revealed for Week 5 SNF of 2023 NFL Schedule

One of the NFL's biggest rivalries will be renewed in Week 5 of the 2023 regular season when the San Francisco 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

Sunday Night Football on NBC announced the game Thursday morning ahead of the official schedule release for all 32 NFL teams on Thursday night.

Quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will be out for revenge, as tight end George Kittle and the Niners have eliminated Dallas from the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

The Cowboys and 49ers first faced each other in 1960, and while they have not played on a yearly basis since then due to being in different division, they have faced off in some of the biggest games in NFC history.

Overall, Dallas and San Francisco have played on 39 occasions between the regular season and playoffs, and the all-time series is remarkably tied at 19-19-1.

The 49ers hold a slight edge in regular-season games at 15-14-1, but the Cowboys are on a three-game winning streak in that regard, having beaten the Niners in 2016, 2017 and 2020.

Dallas is 5-4 in playoff games, but San Francisco has won three in a row, including knocking the Cowboys out in the Wild Card Round in 2021 and the Divisional Round last season.

The greatest battles between the Cowboys and 49ers occurred during the 1980s and 1990s, as they faced each other four times in the playoffs during those decades.

Joe Montana and Dwight Clark connected for "The Catch" in the 49ers' 28-27 win over the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game during the 1981 season.

The teams played each other in three straight NFC Championship Games from 1992 through 1994. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and the Cowboys won the first two, while Steve Young and Jerry Rice led the Niners to a win in the third.

Dallas has won 12 games in back-to-back season, reaching the playoffs each time, but they were shut down by the San Francisco defense on both occasions.

The 49ers have also made two straight playoff appearances, reaching and losing in the NFC Championship Game each time. They also went all the way to the Super Bowl in 2019, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

San Francisco moved on from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, allowing him to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Niners have a stacked offense otherwise with Kittle at tight end, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk at wide receiver and Christian McCaffrey at running back, but there are question marks under center.

One of the most intriguing storylines surrounding the 49ers entering 2023 is who will begin the season as their starting quarterback.

While 2022 seventh-round draft pick Brock Purdy is seemingly the preferred choice, he suffered a torn UCL in his throwing elbow in the NFC Championship Game, and it is unclear if he will be ready for the start of the 2023 campaign.

Trey Lance is presently next in line, but trade rumors have surrounded the 2021 No. 3 overall pick, who missed all but two games last season with an ankle injury.

If neither Purdy nor Lance is the starter, then San Francisco could turn to Sam Darnold, who has been a massive disappointment since the New York Jets made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft.

Darnold could potentially thrive in 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's quarterback friendly system, but Prescott, running back Tony Pollard and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb would perhaps be favored to lead the Cowboys to victory in Week 5 if Darnold is under center for the Niners.