This is the second part in a series that spotlights three 49ers-Cowboys matchups to watch Sunday, 1:25 p.m., at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
49ers QB Colin Kaepernick vs. Cowboys FS J.J. Wilcox
Tale of the tape
Kaepernick (7): 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, fourth season, Nevada
Wilcox (27): 6-foot, 212 pounds, second season, Georgia Southern
With the 49ers’ uncertainty on defense, Kaepernick might be asked to do more than he did a year ago. He was efficient, but no team in the NFL attempted fewer passes than the 49ers. He avoided turnovers in the regular season, but his 58.4 completion percentage was sub-standard.
[RELATED: 49ers-Cowboys Matchup No. 3: Jimmie Ward vs. Cole Beasley]
The Cowboys play interchangeable safeties with Wilcox and fifth-year player Barry Church. Still, Wilcox is best suited to playing in coverage with Church moving down in the box to focus on the run. The Cowboys believe Wilcox, a third-round pick in 2013, has a nose for the football. The Cowboys allowed 6,645 total yards last season -– third-worst in NFL history.
“They’re going to have a new defense, a revamped defense,” Kaepernick said. “It’s not something we’re looking at as far as them being bad. We’re trying to focus on what we have to do to counteract what they’re doing.”
Kaepernick said he believes he will do a better job of going through his progressions. On Sunday, Kaepernick must diagnose Wilcox’s every move. With Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and, potentially, Stevie Johnson as available targets, Kaepernick must quickly find the weakness in the Cowboys’ coverage and exploit it.
