While it’s not quite reminiscent of the rivalry’s heyday in the mid-1990s — when the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys played each other in three straight NFC championship games from 1992 to 1994, and one of them won the Super Bowl each year — the 49ers and the Cowboys have been three of the best teams in the conference for most of this decade.

Both franchises have made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, with Dallas winning 12 games each between 2021 and 2024. During that same period, San Francisco has won 35 regular-season games and made it to the NFC championship game every year — including an appearance in last season’s Super Bowl.

Last year, the 49ers were the top seed in the NFC, while the Cowboys finished second. The ultimate success, a championship, has not occurred, but the consistency of both teams is an achievement in itself.

Until now.

Dallas and San Francisco, entering their Week 8 showdown on “Sunday Night Football,” were two of the more disappointing teams in the NFL. The Cowboys are 3-3 and their three losses – all at home – have come by an average of 22 points. The 49ers are 3-4 and in third place in the NFC West.

If the playoffs started today, neither team would qualify for the first time since 2020. So what went wrong?

Injuries have been a major factor for both teams.

San Francisco will be without star running back Christian McCaffrey all season due to an Achilles tendon injury. The team is also missing linebacker Dre Greenlaw after he tore an Achilles tendon in the Super Bowl and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who is out for the season.

That’s on top of injuries to key pieces such as left tackle Trent Williams, receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle, the latter two missing games. (For the record, Samuel was hospitalized last week with pneumonia. And fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk tore an ACL last game and is out for the season.)

Dallas has been hit particularly hard on the defensive side of the ball.

Star pass rusher Micah Parsons has missed multiple games, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is on injured reserve with a foot issue, linebacker Eric Kendricks missed a game and cornerback DaRon Bland – who led the league in interceptions last season – has yet to play this year.

Of course, every team has to deal with injuries. But the 49ers and Cowboys have taken hits in areas where they were previously dominant.

Without McCaffrey, San Francisco still has good ball possession. However, the red zone offense is functioning poorly. The Niners rank 27th in red zone touchdown percentage after finishing first a season ago. And the rushing defense has taken a step back with injuries in the middle of the unit, going from third last season to 12th in Week 8.

The extra pressure wasn’t good for quarterback Brock Purdy. After throwing just 15 interceptions in his first 25 games, he has thrown seven in seven games this season. He also posts career lows in completion percentage and passer rating.

Dallas’ defense has gone from strength to weakness as new coordinator Mike Zimmer has failed to recapture the magic of Dan Quinn, who is now head coach of the Washington Commanders.

The Cowboys ranked fifth in opponent yards per game last season and have fallen to 24th this season. They are especially bad at stopping the run, with the sixth-worst average of rushing yards surrendered per game. As a result, their scoring defense has dropped dramatically from fifth to 31st.

Offensively, Dallas’ slide is more confusing, as the cast of characters is largely the same. But the Cowboys have gone from the NFL’s top-scoring offense a year ago to 20th this season, averaging nearly nine fewer points per game.

Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones attempted to provide an explanation for the offensive drop-off this week, essentially blaming his head coach.

“We design bad plays, or we design bad concepts,” Jones said Tuesday during his weekly radio appearance on the team’s network. “The facts are that there is some of it, but there are also some implementation issues (problems). There is some of the talent. I love our talent; I really like our talent. I love our young talent, but with young talent there are a few more mistakes than when you are dealing with an experienced player.”

(It should be noted that Jones opted to sign veteran running back Derrick Henry this offseason, even though he lives in Dallas and has publicly said he would have been interested in playing for the Cowboys. Henry leads the NFL in rushing yards, while Dallas has the worst rushing attack in the league.)

It’s still early enough in the season for both teams to rebound and make the postseason. But if the Niners or the Cowboys want to reach the heights of their last three seasons, a miraculous climb would be necessary.

On the other hand, considering all that regular-season success hasn’t yet manifested itself in a championship, perhaps this path will prove more fruitful for two franchises that can’t quite run the NFL completely like they used to.