The Dallas Cowboys made some strong coaching moves last week to solidify an under-performing defense, but questions remain about their under-performing offense. Where is the new offensive coordinator? Would Jerry Jones actually allow the status quo on offense after bringing in such a brain trust on defense?

Dallas fans had better hope that Jones is still on the war path with regard to changes, with his sights set on his offense. Two things that would solidify that today: a 49ers' victory and a Patriots victory.

Both of these teams arrived at Championship Sunday because they had the nerve to be innovative.

Jim Harbaugh wasn't willing to settle for the status quo on offense, even late in the year when it was clear the 49ers were headed back to the playoffs. He benched his quarterback in favor of the dynamic Colin Kaepernick and it paid off.

Despite the 49ers' fearsome defense, they wouldn't be playing today if Harbaugh hadn't pulled such a fast one on the league. Not only did Harbaugh switch QBs, he re-tooled his offense as well.

All of this was done on the fly in midseason.

Cowboys fans should hope that San Francisco wins today because their actions send a clear message to Jones: "You don't have to baby NFL players. If there is a better offense to run, make them learn it!"

Several 49ers players were pushed well out of their comfort zone by this move.  But the 49ers scored 45 points last week in a shootout with Green Bay as a result of their new pistol offense.

A win today will further hammer home the point that professional teams can and should handle change. With an entire offseason ahead of them, there is no reason on earth that Dallas players can't learn a new system—a better system.

A win today by the Patriots would also send a solid message. The Patriots score points at an amazing rate. They do it by wearing down the opposition with a hurry-up offense and spread formations.

But they also run the ball well.

In a year that has seen the emergence of "college offense" at the pro level, Belichick must be laughing to himself. He brought in the college spread formations back in 2005-2006. He has been tweaking his system and racking up the points for years now.

Dallas should take note of what Belichick has done. His offense puts enormous pressure on the opposing defense, but also the opposing offense, which has to keep up. This leads to mistakes by the opposition, which magnify their challenges on game day.

And Belichick has done this without a running quarterback. He has done it by making his offensive line a priority. He has proven that as long as his offensive line and his quarterback are great, he can switch out the other skill positions as needed and continue scoring at a break-neck pace.

The Patriots led the NFL in rushing touchdowns this season. Surprising, isn't it? The team with the hurry-up, spread offense and future Hall of Fame quarterback, rushed for more touchdowns than  the Vikings with Adrian Peterson, the Redskins with RGIII and Albert Morris, the Seahawks with Marshawn Lynch and Russel Wilson and the 49ers with Frank Gore.

They did it with a great scheme and a great offensive line.

Cowboys fans can take solace in fact that while they are watching the championship games today, somewhere in Dallas, so is Jerry Jones.

Hopefully he will learn something today.