It was an ugly, back-and-forth struggle for all 60 minutes -- lacking in the beauty that comprised the Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco 49ers playoff showdowns of the 80's and 90's that had Joe Montana, Steve Young, Roger Craig, and Jerry Rice on one side and Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin on the other -- and as expected, the 49ers did what they have done in each of their previous divisional round showdowns: done what they needed to do to advance to the NFC Championship Game, this time winning by a 19-12 score.
It's a historical result as rookie Brock Purdy will now become the fourth quarterback drafted in the 6th round or later, or undrafted, to reach a Conference Championship in his 1st season as a starter, joining Dieter Brock (1985 ) , Kurt Warner (1999), and Tom Brady (2001). On the other side, the Cowboys run the longest streak of playoff appearances in NFL history without a conference title game appearance to 12.
While Purdy is re-writing the history books with his play as the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the reason the 49ers ended the Cowboys season on Sunday is because of their defense. San Francisco forced two Dak Prescott interceptions, and their offense turned both of those into field goals, critical in a game they won by only seven points.
San Francisco got the scoring started late in the first quarter after being set up with a short field in the wake of a Dak Prescott interception. Prescott was looking for Michael Gallup on a comeback route on third-and-long, but Deommodore Lenoir jumped the route and picked it off. The Niners began their drive on the Dallas 21-yard line, but the Cowboys' defensive line continually got pressure on Brock Purdy and held San Francisco to a field goal.
On the ensuing possession, Dallas drove 74 yards on 14 plays, with Dalton Schultz finding the end zone on a play-action pass from Prescott. Cowboys kicker Brett Maher, though, fresh off setting an NFL record by missing four extra point tries against the Buccaneers last week, had his extra point blocked. He would go on to make his final two kicks of the game , both field goals from 25 and 43 yards out. Late in the first half, disaster struck for Dallas. After converting on fourth-and-4 from the Niners' 35-yard line, Prescott checked down underneath to Tony Pollard, who had his ankle rolled up on two San Francisco defenders. As Pollard limped into the medical tent, Prescott forced a throw into double coverage and was intercepted for the second time in the game. Pollard was later carted to the locker room and ruled out with a high-ankle sprain.
With the final drive of the half, the 49ers had some curious clock management, and ultimately had to attempt a 50-yard field goal on third down as time expired. Robbie Gould's kick sailed right through the uprights, though, giving San Francisco a three-point lead at the break, 9-6. Maher tacked on a 25-yard field goal that left the score tied at nine entering the third quarter. However, a different Cowboys player's gaffe ended up turning the tide for the 49ers.
Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch combined to sack Purdy in a critical spot -- on third-and-eight on the Dallas 20--, but Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson gave 49ers tight end George Kittle a hug, taking him to the ground relatively early in the play. That mistake nullified the sack and three plays later, San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey was in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. That marked eight consecutive games for CMC with a touchdown, which is the longest streak of the Pro Bowler's career. He has 12 touchdowns in 12 games as the 49ers' starting running back since Week 8, all wins for the 49ers. The eight-game touchdown streak is the longest by a 49ers player since Hall of Famer Terrell Owens in 1998.
After the 49ers tacked on another field goal, Prescott and the Cowboys ran out of time again against the 49ers, but this time it was way less suspenseful as Dallas' final drive didn't get past their own 30.
Why the 49ers won
The 49ers took care of the football. Purdy played a far from perfect game, looking quite flustered by Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and the rest of the Cowboys pass rush, but going 19-of-29 passing for 214 yards and no turnovers was level-headed enough for the football's best scoring and total defense to care of a depleted Cowboys offense that missed Tony Pollard in a big way. The two takeaways off Prescott interceptions were great complementary football for the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to lead the 49ers offense to two field goals.
Linebacker Fred Warner was also everywhere between the lines on Sunday, even covering Dallas' top wide receiver CeeDee Lamb over the middle of the field after quickly dropping into zone coverage. He also had a timely interception that slammed the door shut on a Cowboys drive in the red zone just before the end of the first half.
Tight end George Kittle, who had a team-high five catches for a team-high 95 yards, was Warner's equivalent on offense, making huge plays in critical moments by catching a football off his helmet as well as perfectly executing the scramble drill with Purdy over and over again to keep moving the chains, which helped maintain the 49ers' lead.
In the end, the 49ers stars made the plays when they were needed. It sound simplistic, but that was the difference in the game.
Why the Cowboys lost
When a team is a road underdog in the playoffs, they need all the bounces to go their way and play a near-perfect game. The Cowboys didn't do that, which is why they lost their eight playoff games outright as an underdog. The last time Dallas was a playoff underdog and won, they also played at the 49ers, but it was in the 1992 NFL Championship Game.
Prescott finished the season without consecutive weeks not throwing an interception, wasting his clean game in a contest where they had a significant margin for error, the 31-14 Wild Card Round win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His second interception was especially crushing because it appeared as though the Cowboys were driving in for a touchdown that would have broken the six-six tie with under two minutes to go in the first half. Facing second-and-two at the 49ers 18, Dallas could have done anything it wanted. Prescott chose to attempt to squeeze a pass toward CeeDee Lamb in tight coverage, a play that has regularly resulted in turnovers for Prescott just as it did in that moment.
However, the play before that interception also changed the game since Tony Pollard suffered a high-ankle sprain with Dallas facing first-and-10 at the 49ers 26. That injury decimated a huge chunk of the Cowboys game plan as they appeared unsure of themselves offensively the rest of the game. Entering Sunday, the Cowboys averaged 5.8 yards per play with Tony Pollard pn the field and 5.1 yards with him on the sidelines. That gap is the difference between the seventh-best and 24th-best offenses in the NFL this season.
Turning point
Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson's defensive holding penalty with the score tied at nine, and the 49ers facing third-and-eight at the Dallas 20. Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch combined to sack Purdy in a critical spot, but Wilson gave 49ers tight end George Kittle a hug, taking him to the ground relatively early in the play. That mistake nullified the sack and three plays later, San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey was in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter as the offensive line parted his path into the end zone like it was the Red Sea.
Play of the game
This play summed up the entire game: the football hung in the balance and could have gone either way, but in the end the 49ers made the plays in the biggest moments. The Cowboys front had their way with the 49ers offensive line for most of the game, but they held up to give Purdy just enough time to make just enough plays to win the game.
What's next
The 49ers look to reach the Super Bowl for the second time in four seasons. To do that, they'll have to defeat Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, something that has only happened once with Hurts in the lineup. The upcoming NFC Championship Game will be only the second playoff matchup between the two franchises all-time. The 49ers won the only prior matchup 14-0 in the 1996 Wild Card Round with Hall of Famers Steve Young (nine-yard rushing score) and Jerry Rice (three-yard receiving score) accounting for the only points that day.
Once again, Dallas will begin their offseason several weeks earlier than it had hoped. Running back, tight end, linebacker, and defensive back will be key areas for the Cowboys to address with running back Tony Pollard, tight end Dalton Schultz, cornerback Anthony Brown, and safety Donovan Wilson all set to become free agents in the upcoming offseason.