Today at 4:25 p.m. ET, the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys open up their 2014 schedules with Week 1 action live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The game can be live streamed here. San Francisco fans can hear all of the action on KNBR 1050 while Dallas fans can do the same on 105.3 The Fan.
San Francisco is coming off of a season where it finished 12-4 and in second place in the NFC West before losing in the NFC Championship Game in which it was appearing for the third straight season while Dallas finished 8-8 and missed the postseason for the fourth straight year in 2013.
The 49ers have been dealing with problems off the field as there is an ongoing issue with Ray McDonald after he was involved in an alleged domestic abuse incident.
"There's two very strong principles in play. No. 1 is we will not tolerate domestic violence. The second principle is the respect for due process," head coach Jim Harbaugh said via ESPN. "It's something we all know, we all live in America, and we all understand that sometimes patience is required when it comes to due process. ... You're innocent until proven guilty."
On the field, San Francisco will look to Colin Kaepernick to help the team try and make the next step by reaching the Super Bowl again. Smith went 243-for-416 (58.4%) last season for 3,197 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Kaepernick has a lot of weapons on offense, including wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who led the team with 1,179 receiving yards and had 85 receptions and seven touchdowns last season. Frank Gore led the ground game last season, carrying the ball 276 times for 1,128 yards while reaching the end zone nine times.
The Cowboys will hope that their defense can step up in the wake of losses to several key players and will try to avoid another subpar 8-8 season.
Tony Romo comes into this season after undergoing back surgery and he will look to control what he can in the Cowboys' offense this season, though he admitted he can't control all facets of the game.
"You'd be selling the game short if you think you could control all parts of the game," Romo said per ESPN. "It's a very physical, fast-flowing game that has humbled the best players who have ever played. There's only one way to play it -- all out, all the time."
Romo had a strong campaign in 2013, going 342-for-535 (63.9%) for 3,828 yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 picks.
Romo's best weapon in 2013 was versatile receiver Dez Bryant, who had 93 receptions for a team-best 1,233 yards and 13 touchdowns. Bryant is looking for a lucrative contract extension, but said he will not talk with team owner and general manager Jerry Jones about that during the season.
DeMarco Murray remains as the back bone of the team's running game after rushing for 1,121 yards on 217 carries while reaching the end zone nine times last year.
The 49ers and Cowboys open up their respective seasons when they clash this afternoon at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
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