49ers 23 - 17 Cowboys summary: score, stats and highlights | NFL Playoffs, Wild Card

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Reactions: A mess of a game for the undiscliplined Cowboys

Has no one taught the Cowboys the rules or has no one taught them to follow them?

Kyle Shanahan and the Niners obviously did their homework on the Cowboys as the Niners were able to score on them on their opening possession.

Though the Cowboys were able to hold the Niners to field goals the rest of the first half, their penalties continued to kill nearly every opportunity they had to make something happen against the 49ers, which they did get. The 49ers started to get sloppy in the second half and the Cowboys had several chances to make the comeback, but they ruined it for themselves.

It's not like this is new news. The Cowboys  are the worst in the league in penalties. Randy Gregory had 3 penalties alone in this game, enough to cut him in my opinion. It doesn't matter how good a player can play if they only set you back in the end by not following the rules.

It wasn't just penalties. The Cowboys executed poorly (what was that trick-play-turned-fumble??) and got screwed by their own stadium. I remember when it was being built and listening to Dallas radio hosts commenting on how the sun would be an issue in that stadium, and what do you know? It has been, several times, including today, when Lamb missed a critical pass from Prescott because of the glare from the sun. There is no such thing as home-field advantage in that stadium.

Ultimately, it was sloppy and you can't even blame the refs. The Cowboys clearly penalized themselves in this one.

Honestly, you just had to be there.

What an absolutely ridiculous ending!

Dak tries to set the ball himself rather than looking for the official and the ref ends up in the way to run out the clock and end the game

FINAL

The Cowboys lost in the most Cowboys-like fashion: Shooting themselves in the foot with penalties the whole game only to make a comeback to give fans hope, only to then shatter that hope by not pulling it off.

The Niners will advance to the Divisional Round.

Prescott runs it 17 yards and they can't get out of bounds. They had a chance but the umpire got in the way and that's the end of the game and the end of the season for the Cowboys

Niners take their last timeout

Schultz out of bounds at the 40

Pollard brings it up to the 50...will they pull off a Hail Mary?

Prescott passes short left to Wilson, he lateral passes to Lamb, 11 yards at the 40

Down to the wire

Niners punt it, Touchback

Niners get a False Start penalty going for it on 4th down and inches, sets them back to 4th and 5

The Niners let the clock run down and take second timeout

It is ruled short by millimeters

Did Samuel get the 1st down at 3rd and 10? We'll find out..

A Defensive Holding call will give the Niners the 1st down and likely end the game for the Cowboys.

A Holding penalty on the Cowboys, they decline it to put them at 4th and 11. Prescott passes to a wide open Wilson and it's INCOMPLETE

At the 2-minute warning, the Cowboys are at 3rd and 11 at the SF 47 after Dak is sacked and an incomplete pass to Lamb

Prescott scrambles, gets out of the pocket and deep passes to Schultz who runs it for 38 yards and a 1st down at the SF 46

Vander Esch makes the important tackle for the Cowboys to stop Samuel at 3rd and 5, 1 yard short. The Niners try to draw the Cowboys Offsides but they end up getting the Delay of Game and then a False Start. Puts them at 4th and 11. They punt it away. Lamb runs it to the 16.

And...the Cowboys shot themselves in the foot again. Illegal Use of Hands gives the Niners the automatic 1st down

For once, it's the Niners with a pre-snap False Start penalty and it puts them at 3rd and 12

It looked like a fumble recovery by Dallas but the ball just hit the ground before Kittle could catch it so it's an incomplete pass to put the Niners at 3rd and 7

The Cowboys get a much-needed turnover with a pick by Brown and the Cowboys take it to the end zone with a 5-yard run by Prescott to stay in the game with 8:02 still left to go.

Zuerlein PAT is GOOD

49ers Warner was injured on the play. His return is Questionable.

Cowboys are in the red zone for the first time in the game

The Cowboys needed this opportunity, but let's see if they can do something with it. They take over at the 28.

Garoppolo pass intended for Sherfield is INTERCEPTED by Brown

With 11:53 to go in the final quarter, the Cowboys finally get some points on the board in the second half with a 51-yard FG by Zuerlein. They had a great fake punt play to get the 1st down at 4th and 5 but then set themselves back again with a Delay of Game penalty. They needed a TD but they got a FG.

Zuerlein 51-yard field goal attempt is GOOD

Cowboys fans out there doing the sign of the cross and it doesn't seem to have helped. The Cowboys are held to 4th down and 7.

Cowboys gain some steam and lose some steam: Delay of Game penalty, 1st and 15

At 4th and 5, Anger FAKES the punt and passes to Godwin and it's COMPLETE for 16 yards and the 1st down

End of third quarter

Zeek gets them the 1st down but the clock is ticking to end the quarter

Prescott deep pass to Wilson is caught, 24 yards and they're at 3rd and 2

At 2nd and 20, Cowboys get another Illegal Shift penalty...brings them to 2nd and 25.

Sixth pre-snap penalty.

The Cowboys manage to hold off the Niners. They have another opportunity to do something on offense and what do they do? Fumble.

Cowboys go 3 and out and decide not to go for it on 4th and 2. Can't say I blame them...they haven't looked like a team I'd take risks with today.

Deebo Samuel immediately runs it back 26 yards for a TD after Williams intercepts a pass by Prescott to give the Niners an even bigger lead with 5:50 left in the 3rd. There's still time left, but the Cowboys are killing themselves.

Gould PAT is GOOD

The Cowboys unsurprisingly get a penalty that sets them back to 2nd and 28 and Dak throws an INTERCEPTION (Williams)

The Cowboys hold the Niners and force a punt for the first time in the game today

FIVE pre-snap penalties on Dallas in this game. Cowboys are truly their own worst enemy.

Injury Update: Nick Bosa officially OUT with concussion

Cowboys go 3 and out on their second chance and punt it away again and the ball hits the Cowboys jumbo-tron so they'll replay it

On the punt, Anget is hit and a Roughing the Kicker penalty on the Niners is enforced at the Cowboys 15 to give them another shot

Two False Start penalties in a row and a Dak sack to start out the second half. The Cowboys need to stop shooting themselves in the foot if they want to have a chance at staying in this game.

Halftime Report

The 49ers have been taking advantage of their running game against the Dallas defense and it is working. Aiyuk, Samuel, and Mitchell have been dominating the game. The Niners have scored one TD by Mitchell and 3 FGs and the Cowboys have just one TD by Wilson.

Half-time

The 49ers lead 16-7 at halftime

Who designed this Cowboys stadium?? The sun is a problem during every day-time game. Wilson misses a pass from Prescott with the sun directly in his eyes and Cowboys are forced to punt it away with 22 seconds left in the half

At the 2-minute warning, Zeek gets the Cowboys the 1st down on a valiant effort

Came for the football, stayed for this...

The 49ers definitely have the leg-up on the kicker front. Gould gets another solid field goal from 53 yards back to increase the Niners lead with 3:03 left in the 2nd quarter.

Gould 53-yard field goal is GOOD

Prescott passes deep for a 20-yard catch by Wilson in the end zone and the Cowboys get a much-needed TD with 5:19 to go in the 2nd quarter.

Zuerlein PAT is GOOD

Pollard runs the punt return back to the 33 and the Cowboys would be wise to utilize their explosive RB as much as possible

The Dallas offense can't get anywhere and the defense is struggling to stop the Niners attack. They get within FG range (a pretty long range for Gould, whose longest is 53 yards) and he makes the field goal again to put the 49ers up 13-0 in the second half.

49ers get to the Dallas 22 and Gould makes the 40-yard field goal

Niners get the 1st down and then some on a 19-yard run by Samuel

Vander Esch and Parsons hold the Niners to 3rd and 2 after the timeout and that brings us to the end of the 1st quarter

49ers take their first timeout at 2nd and 1 at the 32

The Cowboys defense holds the Niners to 3rd and 5 but they shoot themselves in the foot with ANOTHER Neutral Zone Infraction penalty to give the 49ers the 1st down

A Holding penalty on Dallas ruined a 32-yard gain for them and sets them back to 3rd and 16 at their own 23

The Cowboys defense does a better job at reading the Niners this time but they let them get within FG range and Gould has never missed a field goal in the post season. With 4:53 left in the 1st quarter, the Niners are up by 10.

Gould 53-yard FG is GOOD

On a throwback pass to Mitchell, Armstrong stops him for a loss of 11 to put the Niners at 3rd and 16 and a Delay of Game penalty sets them back another 5, 3rd and 21 at the Dallas 40

The Cowboys don't get anywhere and Dak is SACKED at 3rd and 13 for a loss of 10 and now they're back at 4th and 23 to punt it back to the Niners again

Niners take it down the field 75 yards on their first drive in just about three minutes to take an early lead over the Cowboys.

Gould PAT is GOOD!

Four straight plays for more than 10 yards brings the Niners into the Cowboys red zone and suddenly they're at 1st and goal at the Cowboys 4

Samuel, version RB runs it up the middle right away and the Cowboys defense is going to have to step up against this Niners run game

Uh oh, Cowboys got a penalty flag on the first play of the game - Neutral Zone Infraction

And the Cowboys vs Niners Wild Card game has kicked off!

Cowboys Zuerlein kicks 65 yards to the endzone: Touchback

The Cowboys fans went with a white-out at AT&T stadium and the Niners are in traditional red. It's definitely looking like the Cobwoys fans dominate the stadium.

The "Wide Back" pumping up his teammates

Deebo Samuel was dubbed a "Wide Back" for his versatile role as both a wide receiver and running back. He totaled 77 receptions for 1,405 yards, six touchdowns and  59 carries for 365 yards plus eight rushing touchdowns this season.

Zeek is hungry

"Great tradition, great games, but more importantly these games always mean something, and that's no different this year. So you're always playing for more and it's a privilege to be a part of this tradition."

Key players to watch

1. Tony Pollard, RB, Cowboys

Zeek isn't quite what he used to be, but Pollard is having himself a season, with 47.9 rushing yards and 22.5 receiving yards per game on average. The Niners will need to look out for him on the punt returns as well, as he has an average of 28.8 yards per return and one TD this season.

2. Emmanuel Moseley, CB, Niners

For some reason, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has had significantly more success passing deep left than deep right, which is where Moseley comes in. He'll need to be ready to defend against Prescott.

3. Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Cowboys

The Cowboys defense has been clutch for Dallas, but their ability to stop the run has not been their strong suit. In fact, they have allowed more than six yards per carry, which is the league's third worst. It will be up to Vander Esch and Micah Parsons to stop the Niners Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel.

Injury Report

Cowboys Injury Report

Thankfully for the Cowboys, several key players are good to go for the Wild Card game vs the Niners, including LT Tyron Smith, RB Tony Pollard, and S Jayron Kearse.

Linebacker Keanu Neal, however, was ruled out after suffering from chest and elbow issues last week.

49ers Injury Report

For the 49ers, S Talanoa Hufanga, P Mitch Wishnowsky, and LB Marcell Harris are questionable and will be game-time decisions.

They will likely have five key players, LB Azeez Al-Shaai, S Jaquiski Tartt, LB Dre Greenlaw, RB Elijah Mitchell, and LT Trent Williams ready for the game.

Cowboys vs Niners History

Five of the last seven matchups between the Cowboys and 49ers resulted in the winner going on to win the Super Bowl.

The last time the two teams met up in the playoffs was in 1995 and the Niners went on to win that Super Bowl.

The Cowboys finished this regular season number one in total and scoring offense. The last time that happened, they won Super Bowl VI in 1972.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Cowboys vs 49ers Wild Card Playoff game!

The game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. AS USA will be here with you all along the way with commentary, scores, and updates throughout the game.