Troy Aikman spent years trying to beat the 49ers, but on the eve of San Francisco’s Monday night matchup with Washington, the former Cowboys quarterback had nothing but admiration for the franchise he once helped define as a rival.
Speaking on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown,” Aikman said he had dinner Sunday night with former 49ers president Carmen Policy and came away praising the organization’s “consistency and professionalism.” He also drew a straight line from the current team under Kyle Shanahan to the 49ers of the 1980s and 1990s.
“You look at their style of play ... they play an old-school style of football that the rules of today’s game are just simply not supposed to allow you to play - and yet, they do it,” Aikman said on “Monday Night Countdown” before the game. “From top to bottom, I just think, over the years, the history that you’re talking about, they are so well run from the top to the bottom. I love everything about the 49ers organization.”
That’s a notable statement from a quarterback who lived through one of the NFL’s fiercest rivalries. During Aikman’s run in Dallas, the Cowboys and 49ers met in three straight NFC championship games.
Dallas won the first two, in 1992-93, before San Francisco took the 1994 meeting. Each winner went on to capture the Super Bowl.
Aikman’s praise comes while he is also navigating a contract situation of his own. He is in the final year of his deal as ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” analyst, and while Joe Buck has already signed an extension to remain at the network, Aikman has not.
Front Office Sports reported that gap became a point of tension between the two last week before they called the Bills-Rams game. Aikman also addressed the situation in a recent interview with a Dallas radio station and said he expects to be a free agent in broadcasting after this season.
If he is on the call for ESPN’s Super Bowl broadcast in February at SoFi Stadium, Aikman could end up watching a 49ers team that entered Monday night at 5-0. Asked what it would take for San Francisco to win its first Super Bowl since the 1994 season, Aikman pointed to one issue above everything else.
“We’ve already seen it this year, it’s the health. I mean, they just can’t stay healthy,” Aikman said. “Like, if they can get healthy and remain healthy once they get into the postseason - keep Brock Purdy upright, keep Fred Warner on the field, getting Nick Bosa back, keep Mike Evans healed up - they’re going to give everybody all that they’ve got.”
In Other News...
49ers Survived A Scare Thanks To One Late Defensive Stand
A tense Monday night in Washington nearly turned into a costly slip for the 49ers, who had to sweat through a second-half surge before escaping with their unbeaten record intact. Malik Mustapha came up with the kind of defensive play that can define a close game, helping San Francisco fend off a Commanders comeback after Washington had already lost top receiver Terry McLaurin to a knee injury.
The 49ers still left the field with a 6-0 start, but the night was not clean. An apparent Achilles injury to wide receiver Mike Evans added another layer of concern to a win that required late-game poise and a key stop when Washington seemed to be closing in on the end zone. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Sent An Encouraging Signal On Mike Evans
The 49ers Week 6 roster moves offered a small but notable glimpse into how theyre managing the wide receiver picture, with Christian Kirk staying on injured reserve and Mike Evans still listed as questionable. San Francisco also added some immediate depth by elevating wideout Malik Turner and linebacker Jalen Graham from the practice squad, a move that gives the offense a little more insurance while the injury situation sorts itself out.
For now, the receiver room is built around Evans, Brandin Cooks, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins, with Kirk still waiting for a chance to return under his designation. The combination of the inactive status on one receiver and the extra depth additions suggests the 49ers are preparing for multiple contingencies, and Evans availability remains the headline the team is still trying to settle before game day. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Primetime Scare Put Focus On Two Receivers For Very Different Reasons
Monday night put two receivers in the spotlight for very different reasons, and neither moment had much to do with the stat sheet. Terry McLaurin was being covered one-on-one by 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir when a knee injury stopped him in his tracks, turning a routine play into a grim scene that required a medical cart and an air cast.
On the other sideline, Mike Evans was still working through his own issues while catching passes from Brock Purdy, and he also showed a little class in the aftermath by shaking hands with McLaurin. Evans later exited briefly with an Achilles issue before making it back to the locker room under his own power, a reminder that even in a primetime game, health concerns can linger long after the next snap. [Read more 🡒]