Dak Prescott in 'God Mode'? Ranking Cowboys at 49ers in Playoffs

Dallas and the Niners face off on Sunday night from Levi's Stadium, with NFL.com giving Dak Prescott a "god mode'' compliment.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are one of eight NFL teams left with a chance to make it to Super Bowl XLVII in Glendale, in part thanks to Dak Prescott shifting in to what NFL.com is calling "god mode.''

That may be a bit much, but ...

Dallas finished the regular season with a 12-5 record, good for the fifth seed as the top Wild Card team in the NFC. 

The Cowboys are fresh off their first playoff road win in nearly 30 years, a decisive 31-14 victory over Tampa Bay and quarterback Tom Brady on Super Wild Card Weekend. ... with Prescott experiencing maybe his best-ever game after being subjected to piles of criticism in recent weeks.

Said teammate Micah Parsons: "The light is different on Dak. The criticism he gets is unfair and unjust sometimes, but the way he handles it, the way he comes back every time, and shows who he truly is, it's a credit to him and the work he puts in."

With bad memories of an early 2021 exit to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild card round, the Cowboys now have a chance at a second playoff road win with a huge dose of redemption.

Quarterback Prescott says last year’s loss to 49ers still motivates the Cowboys. Last year, the No. 6 seeded Niners upset the third-seeded Cowboys, 23-17, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

This season, San Francisco is one of the hottest teams, on an 11-games winning streak. The Niners finished the regular season with a 13-4 record, good for the second seed in the NFC. 

San Francisco is led by rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. In his playoff debut, Purdy and the Niners handled the Seattle Seahawks, 41-23. Purdy, who was the final pick of the 2022 draft, is undefeated (7-0) as starter. Dallas' defense is faced with the tough task vs. weapons Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. 

Dallas and the Niners face off on Sunday night from Levi's Stadium. Here is how the NFL.com guys ranked Dallas and San Francisco, heading into the Divisional Round:

Dallas at No. 6:

Pressure? What pressure? Monday night's

31-14 romp

over the Bucs was exactly what the Cowboys needed after a late-season slump that made you wonder if Mike McCarthy's team had already peaked. Instead,

Dak Prescott

played perhaps the best game of his career, and the Dallas defense dominated

Tom Brady

and Co. Prescott's performance was a potential landscape-shifter: The veteran finished 25-of-33 for 305 yards with five total touchdowns and -- this is important -- zero turnovers.

"The light is different on Dak,"

Micah Parsons

told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt after the win. "The criticism he gets is unfair and unjust sometimes, but the way he handles it, the way he comes back every time, and shows who he truly is, it's a credit to him and the work he puts in." The Cowboys will need their QB to stay in God mode this weekend

against the rampaging 49ers

. 

San Francisco at No. 1:

The 49ers continue to run circles around the enemy. On Saturday, it was the Seahawks’ turn to face the music -- a

Brock Purdy

-orchestrated symphony that rolled off 25 unanswered points in the second half en route to a

41-23 win

.

After some

misfires in the first few drives

, Purdy locked in and became the first rookie QB in NFL history with four total touchdowns in a playoff game. His casual dominance can be explained in part by a Kyle Shanahan offense firing on all cylinders: According to Next Gen Stats, all three of Purdy’s passing scores were thrown to receivers who had at least 5 yards of separation. Of Purdy’s 332 passing yards, 179 went to receivers who were virtually uncovered. Purdy hit the NFL QB version of the lotto, and he’s bathing in the riches.

RECORDS: Dallas Cowboys (12-5) at San Francisco 49ers (13-4)

ODDS: Dallas is a 4-point underdog vs. the Niners.

GAME TIME: Sunday, January 22, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. CT

LOCATION: Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, California)

TV/RADIO: FOX, 105.3 The Fan

Full Divisional Round Schedule:

Saturday, Jan. 21

AFC: 3:30 p.m. (CT) (4) Jacksonville Jaguars at (1) Kansas City Chiefs (NBC, Peacock, Universo, NFL+)

NFC: 7:15 p.m. (CT) (6) New York Giants at (1) Philadelphia Eagles (FOX, FOX Deportes, NFL+)

Sunday, Jan. 22

AFC: 2:00 p.m. (CT) (3) Cincinnati Bengals at (2) Buffalo Bills (CBS, Paramount+, NFL+)

NFC: 5:30 p.m. (CT) (5) Dallas Cowboys at (2) San Francisco 49ers (FOX, FOX Deportes, NFL+)

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