Cowboys vs. 49ers 2017 live stream: Start time, TV schedule, and how to watch online

The San Francisco 49ers have been thiiiiiis close to recording their first win of the 2017 season — but close doesn’t count in football. Now 0-6, Kyle Shanahan’s team is hosting a 2-3 Dallas team that has fallen on tough times, Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET on FOX.

Both teams feature former Ohio State running backs, pitting Ezekiel Elliott for the Cowboys against Carlos Hyde for the Niners. Two different styles of rushers, they are both the focal points of their teams’ offenses and will be big contributors on Sunday. Elliott started the season slow but has so far racked up 393 rushing yards on 105 attempts with two scores. Hyde on the other hand is on his way to a career-high season, having already claimed 360 yards on 86 attempts and four touchdowns.

The passing game for the Cowboys has stalled a bit, with WR Dez Bryant failing to find the same kind of explosiveness he’s had for the majority of his career. He may have recorded 264 receiving yards for three touchdowns, but the real story is in the drops and the number of times he’s had to switch to defense on an errant pass by Dak Prescott. If Bryant was ever interested in a position switch, he’s probably got enough film from this season alone to justify a roster spot at defensive back.

On the other sideline, the Niners just had to move on from their starting QB Brian Hoyer — seriously, how was this a thing again — and are now putting the reins to the offense in the hands of a rookie. Former Iowa QB C.J. Beathard was a decent fill-in last week when Hoyer was knocked out of the game with an injury and did enough for Shanahan to go full steam ahead with the third-round draft pick. Closing in on halfway through the season without notching a win will make teams do some crazy things.

But Beathard looked good in preseason with 401 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception, as well as a 62-yard touchdown run. His revival of the San Francisco offense against Washington on Sunday is more reason to be encouraged about his NFL future.

Taco Charlton has played 109 snaps this season. He has only recorded three total tackles and has yet to record any quarterback pressures on the year. When his spin move isn’t working, he is largely ineffective at getting anything going.

Here’s what Carlos Hyde said about the two-minute drill:

“I think the sense of urgency got us more urgent getting to the ball, running our routes, quarterbacks, hitting guys on time. I think it’s that sense of urgency. If we’d had that sense of urgency throughout the game, then maybe it would’ve had a different outcome.”

San Francisco has to win eventually, right? Well, probably not this week. The Cowboys are sitting near the bottom of the NFC East and will be plenty motivated coming off a bye to even out their record. Dallas gets the late-game win. Our eight experts as well as OddsShark’s computer all agree: Dallas will win.