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The Dallas Cowboys fell short in the Wild Card Round and were knocked out by the San Francisco 49ers. After the Cowboys were expected to be a Super Bowl favorite and lost 23-17 in the first round, 49ers' defensive end Nick Bosa threw shade at Dallas after the game.
Bosa made a bold claim that the San Francisco 49ers should be viewed as the new "America's Team".
"@49ers = Americas team (sic)," Bosa captioned a picture of himself on Instagram.
While the 49ers did beat Dallas in the Wild Card Round, it was a very narrow victory with a controversial finish. Dak Prescott ran for it with no timeouts remaining. The offense scrambled to get back to the line to spike the ball for one Hail Mary attempt, but Prescott handed the ball to his center instead of the referee. By NFL rules, the referee has to touch the ball and place it on the line of scrimmage. It took a second too long, and the clock hit zero. You can watch the finish in the clip below:
Maybe if the 49ers had beaten Dallas similarly to how the Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots (an emphatic 47-17 win), then there could be a more secure case to be America's Team. The truth is that the 49ers are way down the list of NFL teams who could legitimately be America's Team. Fans on Twitter thought the same, too.
"The 49ers can't even fill out their own stadium," one fan wrote, while another questioned the claim by calling 49ers supporters "a casual fair weather fan base".
Are Dallas Cowboys still "America's Team" after first-round loss, or do other teams fit the bill?
The Dallas Cowboys have been known as America's Team since 1978. Narrator John Facenda worked on a Cowboys highlight film and stated the team was on television so often that they became as recognizable as A-list celebrities and US presidents. Since then, Dallas, who would go on to win three Super Bowls in the 1990s, have been known as America's Team.
Presently, the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots are better franchises to be "America's Team" over the 49ers and maybe even Dallas. "America's Team" should be one that has a large fanbase nationwide, a long history of success and some of the best known players in the league.
The 49ers will play the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round on Saturday. If San Francisco can win at Lambeau Field, then maybe they can earn a few credits towards their case for "America's Team". They are still a long way from getting the nickname, and Dallas will remain "America's Team" as long as Jerry Jones is at the helm. It doesn't matter who the head coach or quarterback is in Dallas as long as it is still Jerry World in Texas.
Also check out: Buffalo Bills Playoff History, Appearances, Wins and more
