49ers vs. Cowboys Divisional Playoff Live Blog
SANTA CLARA -- This is the live blog of the San Francisco 49ers' divisional playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. I will update this frequently with information and analysis from the press box.
2:00 Here are three keys to a 49ers victory:
1. Crowd Dak Prescott. Keep him in the pocket, constrict his space, make him throw off balance and he'll toss interceptions galore. The 49ers don't have to sell out to sack Prescott -- doing so will allow him to scramble for big gains. They just have to pressure him, because he gets skittish against pressure.
2. Attack Tyler Smith. Cowboys veteran left tackle Jason Peters is out, which means rookie Tyler Smith will move from left guard to left tackle. Good luck with that. Smith is a penalty machine who will have to block Nick Bosa. Expect Bosa to draw more than one holding call.
3. Take advantage of Micah Parsons in pass coverage. Parsons is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL, but in the Dallas base defense he plays inside linebacker, not outside linebacker. So when the 49ers face Dallas' base defense, Parsons will have to cover Christian McCaffrey, and that's a huge advantage for the 49ers. The 49ers should take advantage of this matchup as much as possible.
2:10 Here are the 49ers' inactives: Drake Jackson, Ty Davis-Price, Tyler Kroft, Ambry Thomas, Alex Barrett, Nick Zakelj, Jimmy Garoppolo.
2:12 Here are the Cowboys' inactives: Jabril Cox, Will Grier, Jalen Tolbert, Nashon Wright, Jason Peters, Peyton Hendershot, Quinton Bohanna.
3:38 The Cowboys win the toss and defer. The 49ers will receive the opening kickoff.
FIRST QUARTER
3:43 On 2nd and 10 from the 49ers 25, Aaron Banks and Mike McGlinchey give up a sack and loss of 9. The 49ers punt two plays later. The Cowboys take over at their 26.
3:48 First play of the series, Tyler Smith commits a hold on Nick Bosa. Then on 3rd and 7 from midfield, Dak Prescott steps up in the pocket and throws an off-balance pass that sails over the head of his intended receiver, Dalton Schultz. After the punt, the 49ers take over at their 18.
3:55 On 2nd and 9 from the Cowboys 38, Brock Purdy throws a deep pass to Brandon Aiyuk, but it gets broken up because it's late and underthron. Then on 3rd and 9 from the Dallas 38, Purdy takes a hit as he throws an errant check down pass intended for Christian McCaffrey. Then Mitch Wishnowsky punts the ball into the end zone.
4:00 On 3rd and 9 from the Dallas 21, Dak Prescott throws an interception directly to Deommodore Lenoir. The 49ers take over at the 21. Horrendous throw. Great catch.
4:06 On 3rd and goal from the 8, Purdy scrambles to his left and throws the ball away as he takes a hit. Next play, Robbie Gould makes a 26-yard field goal.
49ers 3, Cowboys 0.
SECOND QUARTER
4:22 On 1st and 10 from the 49ers 14, Dak Prescott keeps the ball on a zone read play and gains 10 yards. Next play, Prescott fakes a handoff, rolls right and throws a touchdown pass to a wide open Dalton Schultz. Then Brett Maher misses the extra point, of course. It was low and it got blocked by Samson Ebukam.
49ers 3, Cowboys 6.
4:24 Charles Omenihu has an oblique injury and his return is questionable. Too bad Drake Jackson is inactive.
4:25 The Cowboys offense is using lots of eye candy and misdirection to keep the 49ers defense off balance.
4:36 On 3rd and 2 from the Dallas 29, Purdy scrambles to his left and misses a short throw to Deebo Samuel. Next play. Gould makes a 47-yard field goal to tie the game with 3:43 left in the half.
49ers 6, Cowboys 6.
4:52 On 2nd and 2 from the 49ers 18, Jimmie Ward tips a pass that Fred Warner picks off and returns to the 49ers 28. Great play by the 49ers. That's two turnovers in the first half by Prescott.
5:01 The 49ers run twice and let the clock wind down to 30 seconds left in the half. Then on 2nd and 10 from the 49ers 47, Purdy his Jauan Jennings for a gain of 22. Three plays later, Gould makes a 50-yard field goal as the half ends.
49ers 9, Cowboys 6.
THIRD QUARTER
5:12 It's going to take more than field goals and Prescott interceptions to win this game. Christian McCaffrey has only 8 yards on 5 carries and 9 yards receiving. As a team, the 49ers have just 27 yards rushing on 11 totes for the half. That is not championship winning football.
5:14 Nick Bosa had 1 tackle and zero sacks in the first half.
5:16 Tony Pollard has an ankle injury and is out for the rest of the game. I hope he's OK.
5:21 On 3rd and 5 from the Cowboys 48, Dak Prescott panics and throws a check down pass high and behind Ezekiel Elliott. During the punt, Ray Ray McCloud fumbles and the Cowboys recover at the 49ers 21.
5:25 On 3rd and goal from the 6, Prescott throws a dangerous checkdown pass that gets tipped and almost picked. Next play, Brett Maher actually makes a field goal. Seriously.
49ers 9, Cowboys 9.
5:31 McCloud redeems himself with a 53-yard kickoff return, but the 49ers offense wastes it. On 3rd and 9 from the Dallas 46, Purdy throws the ball away as he takes a hit, and the 49ers go 3 and out. He was under pressure immediately from a blitzer who was unblocked. Huge wasted opportunity. After the punt, the Cowboys take over at their 9.
5:39 First play, CeeDee Lamb beats Deommodore Lenoir deep up the left sideline for 46. But on 3rd and 5 from the 49ers 40, Fred Warner expertly covers a deep pass up the seam intended for Lamb, the Cowboys punt. The 49ers take over at their 9.
FOURTH QUARTER
5:55 On 2nd and goal from the 2, McCaffrey walks into the end zone for the touchdown. The 49ers finally found their running game in that drive. They ran 7 times for 36 yards.
49ers 16, Cowboys 9.
6:03 On 3rd and 5 from the 49ers 25, Prescott throws behind Lamb and the pass falls incomplete. Next play, Maher makes a 43-yard field goal with 11:03 left.
49ers 16, Cowboys 12.
6:19 On 3rd and 10 from the Dallas 17, Purdy scrambles for six yards. Next play, Gould makes a 28-yard field goal.
49ers 19, Cowboys 12.
6:25 On 2nd and 10 from the Dallas 18, Prescott underthrows Michael Gallup who was open deep, and the pass gets broken up. Two plays later the Cowboys punt. The 49ers take over at their 26 with 2:05 left.
TWO MINUTE WARNING
6:36 The 49ers punt. The Cowboys take over inside their 10 with 45 seconds and no timeouts left.
6:48 The 49ers win. Stay tuned for their grades.
