They were the top two seeds in the NFC. Now both are in danger of missing the playoffs.

Although it doesn't quite resemble the rivalry's heyday in the mid-1990s – when the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys played each other in three consecutive 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 from 2021 to 2024. During that same period, San Francisco has won 35 regular-season games and reached the NFC Championship Game every year – including an appearance in the Super Bowl last season.

Last year, the 49ers were the NFC's top seed while the Cowboys finished second. There was no ultimate success, a championship, but the consistency of both teams was an achievement in itself.

Until now.

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

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

Injuries were a major factor for both teams.

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

In addition, there are injuries to key players such as left tackle Trent Williams, receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle, with the latter two having to sit out games. (Samuel, by the way, was hospitalized last week with pneumonia. And fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL last game and is out for the season.)

Dallas was hit hard, especially 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 problem, linebacker Eric Kendricks has missed a game and cornerback DaRon Bland — who led the league in interceptions last season — has one left this year not played year.

Of course, every team struggles with injuries. But the 49ers and Cowboys have taken hits in areas where they had previously dominated.

Without McCaffrey, San Francisco is still running the ball well. However, the red zone offense is performing poorly. The Niners rank 27th in red zone touchdown percentage after ranking first a season ago. And the rush defense has taken a step back due to injuries to the middle of the unit, slipping from third last season to 12th in Week 8.

The added 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 posted career lows in completion percentage and passer rating.

Dallas' defense has continued to lose strength as new coordinator Mike Zimmer has been unable to recapture the magic of Dan Quinn, now the 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 particularly bad at stopping the run, with the sixth-worst average of rushing yards given up per game. As a result, their goal defense has dropped sharply from fifth to 31st.

On offense, Dallas' performance is somewhat confusing as the cast of characters is largely the same. But the Cowboys have gone from having the NFL's best offense a year ago to its 20th this season and averaging nearly nine fewer points per game.

Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones tried to provide an explanation for the offensive decline 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 that, but there are also some executions [issues]. There is some talent. I like our talent; I really like our talent. I like our young talent, but young talent makes a few more mistakes than when dealing with an experienced player.”

(It should be noted that Jones decided against signing veteran running back Derrick Henry in the offseason, despite living in Dallas, and has said publicly that 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 is still early enough in the season for both teams to recover and reach the postseason. But for either the Niners or Cowboys to reach the heights of their last three seasons would require a miraculous rise.

However, considering all the regular season success has yet to translate into a championship, this path may prove more fruitful for two franchises that can't quite run the NFL like they once did.