The Dallas Cowboys will visit the San Francisco 49ers for a highly anticipated NFC showdown on Sunday Night Football. Before the season, many viewed this as a possible preview of the NFC Championship Game. That… seems less likely these days. There’s still plenty of time for both teams to turn things around, but Dallas and San Francisco could end up fighting for a Wild Card spot instead.

For the Niners, injuries were their bugbear. Christian McCaffrey didn’t play a bit of regular season football. Brandon Aiyuk is now out for the season, while Deebo Samuel is questionable for Sunday’s game due to illness. Brock Purdy is an excellent quarterback, but he can only achieve so much success if he doesn’t face his big-time playmakers like he usually does.

Dallas has also suffered some serious injuries, but their problems lie more with Jerry Jones and the blatant incompetence of the front office. Instead of improving his roster after another early postseason exit, Jones decided to band-aid bullet holes and take a conservative approach. He made a big show of contract extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, using those high-dollar contracts as a convenient excuse to ignore other vulnerabilities. The Cowboys can’t play the football up close, and the recent call-up of Dalvin Cook won’t help.

Fundamentally, the 3-3 Cowboys are probably more broken than the 3-4 Niners, but injuries will level the playing field and set the stage for an entertaining matchup between flawed, desperate “contenders.”

Here’s who won’t be on the field tonight.

Micah Parsons remains the obvious standout on this list. The popular DPOY candidate has been out since Week 4 with a severe ankle sprain. He appears to be getting closer to a return, but the 49ers’ dynamic offense won’t have to deal with Parsons’ constant disruptions on Sunday night. This is by far the most impactful inactivity between both teams and puts an already thin Dallas roster in distress.

DaRon Bland has yet to play in a game this season as he recovers from a serious foot injury. This means that Dallas will have to do without its best pass rusher in Parsons And an All-Pro DB, so there are plenty of holes for Brock Purdy to exploit.

Longtime NFL veteran Jordan Phillips will miss his fifth game of the season, while rookie tight end John Stephens Jr. has yet to make his NFL debut.

San Francisco will be extremely shorthanded at wide receiver tonight. Brandon Aiyuk has already opted out of the season and Jauan Jennings will miss his second straight week with a hip injury. Meanwhile, Deebo Samuel is listed as questionable due to an illness that landed him in the hospital a few days ago. Even if Samuel is fit, there’s a good chance he won’t be at 100 percent capacity. Tight end George Kittle is also questionable due to ongoing foot problems, leaving the 49ers’ pass-catching corps banged up and banged up. Plus there’s no McCaffrey either.

Kevin Givens has been a productive player in the 49ers’ pass rush this season, recording 3.5 sacks in seven games. His absence will be deeply felt, even if the Cowboys’ offense is rather monotonous and predictable.

Meanwhile, Jake Moody is expected to miss his third game with an ankle injury. Anders Carlson will follow in his footsteps. The former Packers kicker made two of two 55-yard field goals against Kansas City last week. He also missed his only extra point attempt.