SANTA CLARA, CA — The Dallas Cowboys traveled to California to take on the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. Dak Prescott threw two first-half interceptions to give the 49ers the lead. The Cowboys outplayed San Francisco but still trailed the 49ers at the break, 9-6.
Both defenses got off to a hot start, as neither San Francisco nor Dallas got anything going on offense for the first four drives. The 49ers’ defense intercepted Dak late in the first quarter. A miscommunication between Prescott and WR Michael Gallup saw the pass fall well short of where Gallup ran his route. 49ers DB Deommodore Lenoir picked off Prescott at the Cowboys’ 21-yard line. Dallas’ defense held San Francisco to a field goal, but the Cowboys trailed with 5:55 remaining in the first quarter, 3-0.
The Cowboys recovered from the turnover and responded to San Francisco’s score on their ensuing drive. Prescott led the Cowboys on a 14-play, 74-yard drive to reclaim the lead. The 49ers stopped Dallas at San Francisco’s 20-yard line on 3rd down to bring up a 4th down and short. Head Coach Mike McCarthy went for it, and CeeDee Lamb converted the first down. Dak hit Dalton Shultz 2-plays later for a 4-yard touchdown, and the Cowboys took a 6-3 lead. Struggling Kicker Brett Maher missed another extra point when the 49ers blocked the attempt.
San Francisco responded with another field goal to tie the game 6-6, and with 3:40 remaining in the first half, the Cowboys had to score quickly. A late hit against Ezekiel Elliot pushed the Cowboys into 49ers territory on the first play of the drive. The Niners’ defense forced Dallas to attempt another 4th down conversion attempt just outside San Francisco’s 30-yard line. Prescott scrambled away from pressure and quickly converted the try.
However, two plays later, Prescott threw another interception. He tried to force the ball to CeeDee Lamb in double coverage. The 49ers made that interception look laughably easy, and Prescott headed back to the sideline. San Francisco added another field goal as time expired, and the 49ers headed to the locker room up 9-6.
The Cowboys pulled even with 9:08 remaining in the third quarter. Following a Cowboys' punt on the opening possession, 49ers' Ray Ray McCloud had the football punched out by Kelvin Joseph. The Cowboys jumped on the loose ball and recovered at the 49ers' 21-yard line. The Cowboys stalled inside the 10-yard line, but K Maher converted a 25-yard field goal to tie the game 9-9.
Neither team scored for the remainder of the quarter, but the 49ers entered the fourth at the Cowboys' 2-yard line. Christian McCaffrey scored from two yards out, and San Francisco retook the lead, 16-9. The 10-play, 92-yard drive included a circus catch from Geroge Kittle on 1st down to get the 49ers out of the shadow of their own endzone and to midfield.
The 49ers added another late field goal to push the score to 19-12 with less than five minutes to play. The Cowboys got the ball back and did absolutely nothing with it. Prescott missed a streaking Michael Gallup deep down the field, and Prescott took a sack on third down. The Cowboys had to punt the ball away with 2:05 remaining in the fourth quarter. Dallas' defense failed to stop the 49ers on the proceeding possession, and the 49ers claimed victory, 19-12.
Dak Prescott finished with a disappointing stat line. He threw 20/31 for 180 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
The San Francisco 49ers advanced to the NFC Championship game next week against the Philadelphia Eagles. The date and time are still to be determined.
The Dallas Cowboys finish another promising year with a disappointing result. The owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, will not give Prescott much slack if he continues to play at this level. RB Tony Pollard left the game in the second quarter with an apparent ankle injury.
Cowboys' Runningback Tony Pollard versus the 49ers
(Credit: twitter.com/@dallascowboys)
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