Few matchups in professional football carry the weight that comes with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys sharing a field.

The rivalry has decided conference championships, launched dynasties, and produced some of the defining images in the sport’s history, from Dwight Clark rising in the back of the end zone at Candlestick Park to the early ’90s NFC title games that ran through Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and two of the most talented rosters ever assembled.

On Sunday afternoon, when the 49ers walk into AT&T Stadium for a 1:25 p.m. Pacific kickoff on FOX, they will add another chapter to a feud that has never needed much help generating heat.

In recent years, the balance of power has leaned toward the Bay Area. San Francisco has beaten Dallas in each of their last two postseason meetings, including a Wild Card win in Arlington in January 2022 that marked the 49ers’ last trip to Jerry Jones’ stadium.

Kyle Shanahan’s teams have also handled the Cowboys convincingly in the regular season, which has left a fan base in North Texas growing more and more frustrated every time the red and gold appear on the schedule.

This year, the two franchises arrive heading in opposite directions as the 49ers came out of their bye and dismantled the Raiders 38-17 at Levi’s Stadium, as Brock Purdy accounted for three touchdowns, passed the 100-touchdown mark for his career, and watched his defense force five second-half turnovers.

They did it without Mike Evans, whose injury has pushed Purdy to spread the ball around, and second-year receiver Jordan Watkins answered with four catches for 86 yards and his first career touchdown.

Dallas, meanwhile, needed a 65-yard drive in 29 seconds and a late Javonte Williams touchdown to escape Indianapolis with a 27-23 win, a result that only partly hid 14 penalties and yet another fourth-quarter lead the Cowboys nearly let slip away.

Brian Schottenheimer’s club sits at 4-5 after home losses to the Buccaneers and Cardinals, and the pressure on the head coach is only getting louder.

Even so, Dak Prescott threw for 335 yards on Sunday, and with CeeDee Lamb and an improving defense led by rookie Caleb Downs, Dallas has enough talent to make this uncomfortable for anyone.

For the 49ers, a victory would move them to 8-1 and strengthen their hold on first place in both the NFC West and the conference as a whole.

Just as important, it would come on the road against an NFC opponent, which helps with the conference-record tiebreakers that so often decide who gets the lone first-round bye.

With a Mexico City date against Minnesota next and a home rematch with Seattle right after, winning in Arlington would give Shanahan’s group real breathing room heading into the most important stretch of the schedule.

Taking down the Cowboys at their place without a full receiving corps would confirm that this roster is deep and versatile enough to survive the injuries that tend to stack up in November, and it would keep the 49ers on track to make the road to the Super Bowl go through Santa Clara once again.