Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) fumbles as he is sacked by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Charles Omenihu (92) during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022.
Smiley N. Pool, MBR / Associated PressThe San Francisco 49ers probably would have preferred to play the Buccaneers, a team they beat by 28 points in December, in Sunday’s divisional-playoff game at Levi’s Stadium.
But at least one member was thrilled when the Cowboys became their opponent after pounding Tampa Bay 31-14 in the wild-card round Monday night.
“Going against the Cowboys, I like it,” defensive end Charles Omenihu said. “I’m glad they won.”
To understand Omenihu’s perspective, it’s helpful to examine his background. Omenihu, a onetime Cowboys fan, is a Texas native (Dallas suburb of Rowlett) who played at Texas and began his four-season career with the Texans.
“Your family and everyone supports them, and then you’ve got to go against them and crush their dreams,” Omenihu said. “I like that aspect of it.”
Omenihu already has experience ending the Cowboys’ season. He came off the bench last year when pass rusher Nick Bosa suffered a concussion and had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in a 23-17 wild-card win at Dallas.
He will enter Sunday’s game after a similarly disruptive performance. He had two sacks, one of which included a game-shifting fumble, in a 41-23 wild-card win against the Seahawks on Saturday.
Omenihu, who had a career-best 4.5 sacks while playing 54% of the defensive snaps this season, could assume a larger role against Dallas. Starting defensive end Samson Ebukam (ankle) was limited in Wednesday’s practice.
“It’s going to be great,” Omenihu said. “It’s going to be a great atmosphere — the prime-time game of the day. What else could you ask for (playing) against America’s Team?”
Pressure package: The Cowboys ranked third in the NFL in sacks (54), which head coach Kyle Shanahan credits to their talent and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Shanahan worked with Quinn, then Atlanta’s head coach, as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2015-16. Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons had a team-high 13.5 sacks in the regular season and was followed by defensive ends Dorrance Armstrong (8.5), Dante Fowler (6) and DeMarcus Lawrence (6), a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
“The way (Quinn) gets those guys to move, they have some really good rushers,” Shanahan said. “Everyone knows about Lawrence and Parsons, but there’s not one bad one there. The way that they stunt, the way they can create one-on-ones … it does jump off the tape.”
Injury report: Wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle) and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (knee) were limited in practice, and cornerback Ambry Thomas (ankle) remained sidelined.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw was a full participant after he briefly left the wild-card win in the first quarter. Shanahan was tight-lipped when asked what was plaguing Greenlaw, who missed the regular-season finale with a back injury.
“He’s good now,” Shanahan said.
Eric Branch covers the 49ers for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch
