Cowboys vs 49ers summary: Purdy triumphant, score, stats, highlights | NFL Divisional Playoffs
Cowboys at 49ers: LIVE
Niners advance to the Championship game with victory over Cowboys
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19-12 in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.
The Niners' are now on a 12-game winning streak as they head to the NFC Championship game. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 214 yards and didn't manage to throw and touchdown passes. It didn't matter though, as his team did enough to get the victory while he avoided costly mistakes.
The same cannot be said for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who threw two extremely costly interceptions that resulted in two field goals/six points for the Niners.
The Niners will now face the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game on Sunday.
Game Summary
The defenses ruled the game between the Niners and Cowboys on Sunday, but the Niners defense came out on top. Prescott managed to get just 206yards on 23-of-37 passing and one touchdown to twointerceptions. Purdy completed 19-of-29 passes for 214 yards and the rushing offense had 113 yards and a touchdown. It was the four field goals by Robbie Gould that racked up the majority of their points though.
First half
The defenses ruled the beginning of the game as the Niners, Cowboys, and Niners again were forced to punt. And yet it was the 49ers who came up with the first points of the game. That's because Prescott threw an interception, picked by CB Deommodore Lenoir to give San Francisco the ball on offense again. At the goal line, the Cowboys defense held off the Niners and forced a field goal, which Robbie Gould made without issue from 26 yards.
The Cowboys came right back to score a touchdown in response. It took them forever, nearly eight minutes, to get down there, but when they finally did, Prescott passed to TE Dalton Schultz in the end zone. As was trend in last week's Wild Card game, kicker Brett Maher missed the extra point, this time as it was blocked by Samson Ebukam. The Cowboys were in the lead, but just 6-3.
The Niners came back with another field goal in response, a 47-yarder by Gould that tied up the game, 6-6. The Cowboys had a chance to take back the lead before the half though. Kavontae Turpin set them up nicely on a 36-yard return, but Prescott threw another interception, in the red zone, to Fred Warner, who ran it back 16 yards and gave the Niners possession at the 28 with under 2 minutes in the half. They took it down to another field goal by Gould, this time from 50 yards. Niners took a 9-6 lead before the half.
Another blow for the Cowboys came when Pollard was carted off the field with an ankle injury just before halftime.
Second half
The Niners finally made a mistake at the beginning of the second half. On the return, Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled and it was recovered by Cowboys' Damone Clark. The Cowboys did not maximize totally on that opportunity, missing the TD but making the field goal! There was much concern about that kick attempt by Brett Maher, who had missed four PATs in the Wild Card game against the Bucs. But Maher made the 25-yard try to tie the game 9-9 in the 3rd quarter.
The Niners got their first touchdown when RB Christian McCafftey finally got a 2-yard run into the end zone, extending their lead to 16-9 early in the 4th quarter. Maher was able to make a second, this time 43-yard field goal on the Cowboys' next drive, cutting the Niners' lead to 16-12. A 44-yard return by Turpin was stopped only by a slight tackle by Gould. It could have been another score if he had not.
Though the Niners never got another touchdown, they did get another field goal, a 28-yarder by Gould to make it a 19-12 lead that they never gave back up to the Cowboys.
The rest of the game was full of anxiety and shame for the Cowboys and fans of the Cowboys. Prescott narrowly missed throwing another interception, threw an incomplete pass, and then got sacked.
With 2:06 left, the Niners took over at their own 26 and wasted enough time moving the ball until they had to punt it back with 45 seconds.
The Cowboys took over at their 6-yard line and completed a few passes to Schultz to get to the 24-yard line. It wasn't enough though. In the final seconds, Prescott threw two more incomplete passes and on the last try, got the ball to Turpin, who was stopped real quick by Jimmie Ward as time ran out. Game over, Niners win, Cowboys lose.
NFL Conference Championships
The Conference Championship Games will take place next Sunday, January 29.
The NFC Conference Championship game will be played between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. ET from Lincoln Financial Field in Philly.
The AFC Conference Championship game will be played between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. ET from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO.
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This is suddenly relevant...
Kyle Shanahan stated that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has a slight chance to return for the NFC Championship Game.
If only it were this cute in reality...
Mmmm....what now?
Cowboys fans, laugh to keep from crying. It's the only way.
And the 49ers are heading to the Championship game to take on the Philadelphia Eagles
NINERS WIN!
Turpin taken down right away and that's GAME OVER
Yep, the ruling was REVERSED. Incomplete pass, 3rd down Dallas at the 24-yard line with 6 seconds left...
Niners take 2nd timeout
Prescott pass to Schultz was ruled a catch, but the play is under review and it'll get called back. He didn't have both feet in when he caught the ball.
Prescott pass incomplete, 2nd down
Prescott to Schultz for 9 yards, 1st down!
Prescott avoids the sack but has to throw it away, incomplete, 2nd down
The only option now for the Cowboys is a touchdown and a MADE extra point to bring the game into OT or....go for two and win. IF they can get the TD in 45 seconds.
Turpin makes the fair catch
Delay of Game on Niners
Clock is running down...
McCaffrey tackled by Kearse for a loss of 1, 4th and 9
Lawrence stops Mitchell, no gain, 3rd and 8 at the Cowboys 43
Cowboys take final timeout
Dallas takes 2nd timeout
Mitchell again, gets a yard, 2nd and 9
Mitchell gets 15 yards for the 1st down, but why did he go out of bounds??
Cowboys take 1st timeout
Mitchell gets a yard, 2nd and 9
2-MINUTE WARNING
Purdy to Kittle COMPLETE for 16 yards and the 1st down as we hit the two-minute warning
And the Cowboys have to punt it back but they waste a lot of time setting it up
Prescott SACKED by Ebukam
Anddddd Prescott throws a second incomplete pass. 3rd and 10 Cowboys....
Prescott pass incomplete, Greenlaw nearly picked it...
Turpin takes the return back 17 yards to the Cowboys 18, tripped up by Burks
The Niners get their fourth field goal of the night on a 28-yard try by Gould. They lead by 7 points with just around 3 minutes left in the game.
Gould 28-yard field goal is GOOD!
Purdy scrambles for 6 yards short of the 1st down, Niners send on the field goal unit
Mithcell tackled by Wilson, no gain....
Purdy pass incomplete...
3rd and 10
This time, Mitchell breaks the tackle to get the 1st down at the Cowboys 17
Mitchell swallowed up by Diggs and Wilson, 2nd and 7...
Purdy pass to McCaffrey is complete for 6 yards and the 1st down. Not looking good for Dallas with under 7 minutes left.
Mitchell gets another 2 yards, stopped by Kearse, 3rd and 3 at the Cowboys 34
49ers take 1st timeout
Mitchell takes it 5, 2nd and 5 Niners
Kittle makes 17-yard catch for 1st down, and a 9-yard catch by Aiyuk gives them a second one! Niners at the Cowboys 41 already.
Check out just how bad these missed PATs have been. Maher set an unwanted record last week!
Maher can't seem to get the easy point after kicks, but he's doing just fine with field goals so far in this game. Turpin set up the drive with 44 yards, and a 17-yard catch by Lamb helped them along. Maher made the 43-yard field goal and the Cowboys are down by 4 (instead of 3) with 11:03 left in the game.
THEY CAN! Maher's 43-yard field goal is GOOD!
Prescott pass incomplete, 4th down at the Niners 25...can they make a field goal with Maher???
Lamb gets 6, 3rd and 8...
Prescott slides away to avoid the sack, but takes them back to 2nd and 14.
Prescott pass to wide open Lamb is complete for 17yards and the 1st down at the 27
Elliott picks up 4, 1st down Dallas
Prescott to Lamb complete for 6 yards, then Elliott picks up 3 to set up 3rd and 1...
Turpin takes it 44 yards to the Cowboys 43 on the return!
The Cowboys penalties didn't help them any here as the Niners pull off a touchdown on a McCaffrey 2-yard run set up by a 30-yard, one-handed, face-bobbling catch by Kittle. Gould's PAT is good (cause you know...those are easy?) and the Niners take back the lead 2 seconds into the 4th quarter.
NINERS TOUCHDOWN!!!
END 3rd quarter
The Niners are deep into Cowboys territory as the 3rd quarter time runs out. It's 2nd and goal and they're at the 2-yard line. Right now it's a tie game, but the Niners will take the lead if they score here...
Juszczyk gets 8 yards, 2nd and goal at the Cowboys 2
Andddd another Holding call on Dallas' Hankins
Holding on Dallas' Wilson, 5 yards, 1st down Niners
Purdy SACKED by Vander Esch and Lawrence but there is a flag...
Mitchell gets 2 yards, Purdy second try is incomplete with Diggs tipping the pass, 3rd and long
McCaffrey takes it up another 8 yards, then Mitchell picks up 6 to get the 1st down at the Cowboys 22
McCaffrey makes the 1st down at the Cowboys 36
Purdy pass under pressure is bobbled, bobbled, wooooooop woop, and CAUGHT by Kittle for 30 yards!
McCaffrey breaks through for 7 yards, 1st down
Neutral Zone Infraction on Dallas' Lawrence, 1st and 5 for the Niners
Cowboys punt it back
Delay of Game on Dallas, 5 yard penalty
Prescott pass to Lamb incomplete, 4th and 5 at the Niners 40
Elliott takes it up 5 yards, 3rd and 5...
Anddd the next pass, incomplete, 2nd and 10 at the Niners 45
Prescott pass DEEP to Lamb complete for 46 yards!!
PassInterference on Niners' Lenoir, declined
After a huge 53-yard return, the Niners have to punt it back to Dallas on 4th down
Purdy passes deeeeeeeeeep to McCaffrey and it's incomplete, 4th down
At 2nd down, Lawrence takes down Samuel for a loss of 4, 3rd and 9
On the return, Niners get a huge 53-yard run by McCloud! He makes it to the Cowboys 47 before Bland takes him down
The Cowboys get lucky on a fumble recovery to get the ball back in Niners territory. They get down the field but Nick Bosa is all over them and they're stopped from getting the touchdown and forced to rely on Brett Maher, who's missed five of his last six extra point attempts. He finally broke the terrible streak and got the 25-yard field goal. Cowboys tie it up with 9:08 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Cowboys take the risk with Maher and HE GETS IT!!!! FINALLY, Maher makes the 25-yard field goal!
Bosa gets to Elliott for a loss of 1 yard, then on 3rd and goal, Prescott pass is incomplete to bring Cowboys to 4th and goal
Prescott to Schultz for 3 more yards, he's tackled immediately by Al-Shaair
Lamb gets 2 yards...and then the 1st down on a 10-yard gain, Cowboys at 1st and goal
On the punt return, Joseph punched it out of McCloud's hands, FUMBLE and it's RECOVERED by Dallas' Clark at the Niners 21! A big break for the Cowboys!
And it's incomplete to Elliott. They're missing Pollard right about now. Dallas will punt it back.
Cowboys at 3rd down, again...
Prescott to Lamb for 9 yards and the 1st down!
Elliott gets a gain of 3 on 1st down, Prescott scrambles and escapes for 6 on 2nd, to bring Cowboys to 3rd and short
And we're back!
Cowboys won the toss today so they'll start us off in the 2nd half.
Cowboys' Pollard will not return to the game today. He had his ankle smashed up on a tackle in the 2nd quarter.
It has been a defensive game completely today!
I mean, honestly. Come on, man.
HALFTIME
Dak Prescott threw two interceptions in the 2nd quarter, both of which led the Niners to field goals. Thus, the Niners are in the lead with 3 total field goals, 9-6. The Cowboys managed one touchdown in the 1st quarter by Schultz but Maher's PAT was blocked, after missing FOUR of five in last week's Wild Card game.
The Niners take the lead after they get the ball from an interception again, and it's Gould who gets the 50-yard field goal with one second on the clock in the half.
Gould 5-yard field goal is GOOD!
Cowboys take final timeout before Gould can try the field goal
Purdy pass incomplete again, 3rd down
Purdy pass incomplete, 2nd and 10
Purdy to Jennings for 22yards to the Dallas 32! Out of bounds and in field goal range
Purdy pass incomplete, tipped by Parsons
Purdy gets it to Samuel 10 yards to the Niners 47 for the 1st down as time keeps ticking
Niners take final timeout
Niners take 2nd timeout
Samuel gets 8 more but McCaffrey is stopped, 3rd and 1
Prescott pass INTERCEPTED by Warner, takes it up 16 yards to the Niners 28
Cowboys take 2nd timeout to assess Pollard injury
2nd and 2 at the Niners 18
Pollard gets a gain of 8 but he was injured on the play
And they go for it and Prescott gets away for a gain of 9 yards and the 1st down!!
TWO-MINUTE WARNING
The Cowboys let the clock wind down to the 2-minute warning in the half. They're at the Niners 35 at 4th down and 4 with a kicker who has a serious case of the yips. Do they risk it for a field goal? Do they go for it? We will see what McCarthy decides...
Pollard taken down by Greenlaw after just 3 yards, 4th down and Cowboys will....go for it?
Would the Cowboys DARE attempt a long field goal with Maher as their kicker?? I wouldn't...but that's just me.
Cowboys take 1st timeout
Elliott picks up 3, Prescott pass incomplete, and Cowboys are at 3rd and 7
Elliott gets away for a pickup of 9 and there's a late hit, Niners' Greenlaw Unnecessary Roughness call, 15 yards
Turpin takes back the return 36yards to the Dallas 35
Since Maher managed to miss yet another extra point for the Cowboys, it's now a tie game after the Niners get a 47-yard field goal by Gould with 3:43 to go in the half.
Gould 47-yard field goal is GOOD!
Purdy under pressure, incomplete, 4th and 2
At 2nd and 19, Samuel picks up 17yards, 3rd and 2
49ers take 1st timeout
Barr stops Kittleafter a yard, 2nd and 20 Niners
This time the foul is on Niners Banks for Holding, 1st and 20 Niners
Purdy pass complete to Jennings for 5 yards and the 1st down, Cowboys' Bland gets Unnecessary Roughness penalty, 15 more yards for the Niners
Samuel shimmies to get 6 yards, stopped by Parsons just short of the 1st down, 3rd and 2
Vander Esch gets the stop on Mitchell, 2nd and 8
Purdy to McCaffrey for 7 yards juuuuuust enough for the 1st down
Purdy scrambles to avoid the sack for 2 yards, Samuel gets one more...3rd down
The Cowboys get down the field slowly but surely and it's Schultz who gets the first TD on a 4-yard run. The much-anticipated PAT by Maher was BLOCKED.
He missed FOUR extra points in last week's Wild Card game and those points will matter a lot more today...not a good start for him here today. But the Cowboys take back the lead with 9:25 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Maher's extra point was BLOCKED by Ebukam...WOW
Prescott scrambles for 11 yards to the SF 4, 1st and goal!
And it's Lamb, he gets around the block and makes the 1st down!
Lamb makes the catch justtttt short of the 1st down, 4th and 1....go for it!!
Lamb gets 5, 3rd and 7 Cowboys
Prescott under pressure, throws it away and Elliott somehow catches it but is immediately taken down by Greenlaw for a loss of a yard
Elliott lunged forward to just get the 1st down
Pollard gets 5 more, Elliott gets 4...
Prescott slings it to Brown for a pickup of 17 and the 1st down!
END 1st quarter
As the 1st quarter comes to an end, the Cowboys are at 3rd and 2 after two runs for 13 yards from RB Tony Pollard.
The Niners are in the lead by a field goal after an interception.
Pollard gets a good run for a gain of 10yards, 2nd and 5
Cowboys' Smith (again) with the FalseStart, 1st and 15
Brown gets 3, Lamb gets 7, Cowboys 1st down
Turpin takes back the return 23yards to the Cowboys 26 before being tripped up by Ward.
The Niners get a major advantage when Lenoirintercepted the ball and brought them to the Cowboys 21. The offense couldn't get the touchdown though as the Dallas defense was all over them. Gould made the field goal from 26 yards to give the Niners the lead 2:12 left in the 1st quarter.
Gould 26-yard field goal is GOOD!
Purdy under major pressure from Odighizuwa and co., runs backwards and gets away but has to throw the ball away, 4th and goal Niners
Purdy stopped by Hankins for no gain, 3rd and goal
Cowboys' Watkins was injured during the play
McCaffrey stopped by Wilson and Armstrong after a 2-yard gain
Purdy to Aiyuk for 16 yards and the 1st down! Niners at 1st and goal...
McCaffrey gets no gain, stopped by Watkins, 3rd and 15
Purdy SACKED by Lawrence for a loss of 6
Prescott pass INTERCEPTED by Lenoir, runs it back 6 yards to the Dallas 21
Elliott gets a short gain of a yard, followed by Pollard getting tackled right away for no gain, stopped by Warner, Cowboys at 3rd and 9 quick
Purdy under pressure throws an incomplete pass, 4th and 9, Niners punt it away
McCaffrey picks up a yard and Purdy throws an incomplete pass, knocked away by Bland to bring Niners to 3rd and 9 at the Cowboys 38
Purdy deep to Kittle complete for 31 yards!
McCaffrey taken down by Parsons and Lawrence after just 3 yards
McCaffrey gets the 1st down at 3rd and 1
Samuel gets stopped just short of the 1st down by Wilson
Prescott under lots of pressure from the Niners pass rush, throws it away, 4th down Cowboys
Prescott under pressure gets it away to Lamb and it's caught but it's short, 3rd and 7
This time, Warner gets to Pollard quick for a loss of 2 yards, 2nd and 12
Prescott gets it away to Hilton for 15 yards and the 1st down!
Pollard gets up field to the 22 for 6 yards, 2nd and 14
Prescott under pressure from none other than Bosa, and Cowboys get a Holding call on Smith, 1st and 20 now
Niners go 3 and out on first drive
On 3rd and long, Purdy gets it to Samuel for 12 yards but it's not enough
McCaffrey runs right into a wall built by Parsons for no gain and on 2nd down it's Odighizuwa with a SACK on Purdy
Game time!!
Cowboys won the toss, elected to defer. Niners start us off on offense... LET'S GO!
Maher...get it together, man!
Despite the Cowboys' victory last week, kicker Brett Maher missed four PATs in a row, setting an NFL postseason record.
With two teams who don’t face each other every season, it is difficult to have a rivalry. But the Cowboys and 49ers manage to pull it off.
INJURY REPORT: Ambry Thomas among Niners inactives
We have known QB JimmyGaroppolo would be out and Shanahan told reporters earlier this week that CB AmbryThomas would be out as well vs the Cowboys.
The Cowboys have ruled out TE PeytonHendershot. He was added to the injury report yesterday after he suffered a hamstring injury last week.
Full list of Inactives for the NFC Divisional Game:
Cowboys vs Niners: How do they compare?
The Cowboys and 49ers are both better teams than they were last season. And though the Niners are playing with their 3rd-string quarterback, they're on an 11-game winning streak and look set to make it 12. Let's take a look at how they compare to the Cowboys.
The Niners have talent on both sides of the ball
The 49ers offensive line is one of the best in the league - eighth in rushing attack and fifth in total offense. Their defense is just as, if not even more, threatening. Led by Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, their defensive front-seven are one of the best in the league. They finished first in total defense with 300 yards per game and tied for first in total interceptions with 20.
In the regular season, Bosa had 18.5 sacks, Warner had 130 tackles, and Talanoa Hufanga had 97 tackles, nine pass deflections, and four interceptions.
In the Niners Wild Card victory over Seattle, the offense had 181 rushing yards and the defense had three QB sacks and 16 pressures.
Can the Cowboys offense take on the Niners defense?
The Cowboys offense was able to take on the Buccaneers defense no problem last week, but that's not really saying much in comparison with the Niners this week. They will need to slow down the pass rush and contain that aggressive front seven.
WRs CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup and TE Dalton Schultz will be key to making this happen. Combined, they had 16 catches, 209 yards, and four TDs against the Bucs last week.
And how will the Cowboys defense fare?
The Dallas defense is one of their strongest assets with weapons like Micah Parsons, Dorance Armstrong, Osa Odighizuwa, Donovan Wilson, and Trevon Diggs. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will need to show off his game plan skills to put the pressure on rookie QB Brock Purdy.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan is an offensive genius and his team of WR DeeboSamuel, RB ChristianMcCaffrey, and TE GeorgeKittle are plenty threatening no matter who is starting at quarterback. Against the Seahawks last week, they combined for 338 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
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Let's talk about Brock Purdy, shall we?
The final player to be chosen in the last NFL Draft and thus dubbed Mr. Irrelevant, is now key to the success of the San Francisco 49ers.
The Cowboys and Niners in the playoffs so far
The Dallas Cowboys checked off one never-been-done-before last week - beat Tom Brady. They dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14 in the Wild Card Round, winning their first road playoff game in 30 years. QB Dak Prescott threw 4 touchdowns and added a fifth running TD. If they can beat the Niners today, they'll make it to their first NFC Championship game in 27 years.
The San Francisco 49ers are also doing historic things in these playoffs. Brock Purdy will be just the 10th rookie QB to start a divisional playoff game since the 1970 merger. In their 41-23 Wild Card victory over the Seattle Seahawks last week, the Niners had 505 total offensive yards and Purdy accounted for three passing TDs and one rushing TD, becoming the first rookie QB to account for 4 TDs in a postseason game.
The two teams face each other now in the divisional round, meeting for the ninth time in the postseason, tied for the most in the NFL. The Cowboys will be out for revenge from last year as the Niners beat them in the Wild Card Round.
A moment the Cowboys would much rather forget...
If they can get the victory today, maybe, just maybe, people will forget?
Good evening everyone and welcome to our live text coverage of tonight's Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers Divisional Playoff game!
The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
We will be here from start to finish bringing you the latest news, stats, scores, highlights, and commentary as the No. 2 Niners take on the No. 5 Cowboys in a thrilling rematch of last season's Wild Card game!