The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19–12 to advance to the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
For the Dallas Cowboys, each play appeared to be an uphill battle. A significant effort or creative play was necessary to gain positive yards.
The San Francisco 49ers’ defense may wind up being the highlight of the NFL’s final four in a conference championship round full of star quarterbacks.
Until the offense got rolling, San Francisco’s defense kept the club in the game. Christian McCaffrey’s 2-yard touchdown run gave the 49ers the lead to begin the fourth quarter, and with fewer than three minutes left, they proceeded on a lengthy, arduous drive for a field goal. After then, the 49er’s defense, which was the best in the NFL all season and dominated on Sunday, wouldn’t allow another point to be scored.
San Francisco advanced after a tense 19–12 home victory in the divisional round. The NFC championship game between the 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles will take place on the road the following Sunday.
Dallas failed to score a point against the 49ers despite being down 19–12 with only a few minutes remaining in the game. The Cowboys punted after Dak Prescott completed two incomplete passes and was sacked on a third down. The sequence demonstrated the 49ers’ superior performance throughout the season.
Among the NFL’s final four quarterbacks are Joe Burrow, who has established himself as one of the league’s top five, and Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, who are certain to finish 1–2 in the MVP race. The 49ers’ rookie quarterback Brock Purdy has performed admirably, but they are built differently than most teams who are in contention.
The quality surrounding Purdy on offense is excellent, and their outstanding defense can take the Niners to victory, as it did against Dallas.
The 49ers advanced to the championship round on Sunday due to their defensive performance. DeMeco Ryans’ selection for head coaching interviews is clear cut; he is the 49ers’ defensive coordinator.
The defenses made it clear from the start that there wouldn’t be many points. Each first down was difficult. Reaching the end zone would be unusual.
If not for Prescott’s picks and Brett Maher’s troubles, the Cowboys probably would have been in the lead at the half. Prescott threw two expensive pickoffs. One occurred in Dallas territory in the opening frame and resulted in a field goal for the 49ers.
The second occurred with the Cowboys in field-goal range late in the second quarter (though, given Maher’s yips, the Cowboys might not have attempted one no matter how close they got). Prescott failed to notice defensive back Jimmie Ward in coverage; as a result, Ward tipped Prescott’s pass upward, whereupon linebacker Fred Warner intercepted it.
The 49ers marched down to give Robbie Gould a try at a 50-yard field goal, and he made it after that interception occurred in the closing two minutes of the first half. 9–6 was a 49ers lead.
Before halftime, tight end Dalton Schultz scored the lone touchdown for the Cowboys, who displayed strong play. Maher’s subsequent effort at an extra point was blocked, continuing a recent downturn that saw him miss four extra points in the wild-card round.
Despite playing excellent defense and making some little gains against the superb 49ers defense, Dallas was still down at the break. It also had a poor kicker and a quarterback with persistent interception issues. The 49ers’ defense wasn’t any better.
Early in the second half, the Cowboys received a significant break. Dallas recovered a mishandled punt return by Ray-Ray McCloud. Although the Cowboys were unable to score a touchdown, Maher managed to tie the game with a 25-yard field goal.
On the opening play of the fourth quarter, the 49ers, at last, entered the end zone. McCaffrey scored from two yards out after a lengthy drive that was highlighted by a spectacular catch from George Kittle for 30 yards through the center of the line.
San Francisco lead 16–12 after another field goal by Maher, this one from 43 yards out.
The 49ers just required one lengthy drive to win the game given the way San Francisco’s defense was performing. A field goal would be enormous, even. Purdy successfully converted a couple of third downs as San Francisco proceeded on a lengthy drive. McCaffrey’s snaps were probably limited because of a calf problem, thus Elijah Mitchell had some difficult runs.
Despite a third-down stop by the Cowboys, Gould kicked another field goal. That drive reduced the amount of time Dallas would have left by subtracting 7:59 from the clock. With about three minutes left, the Cowboys were behind 19–12.
The 49ers’ drive immediately following their seven-point advantage was a total failure. On first down, Prescott nearly threw an interception. On second down, he attempted a deep pass to Michael Gallup, but it was blocked. On third down, he was sacked, and Dallas then punted.
After that, Dallas required a miracle. When they passed to Kittle, the 49ers quickly gained a first down. Mitchell ran for another first down. Dallas had utilized all of its timeouts when the 49ers had to punt, but it was with less than a minute left in the game. The 49ers continued their journey after the short-lived drive.
The Eagles, who finished the season as the top NFC club, will be up against the 49ers. The defense in San Francisco won’t be deterred.
The 49ers have won 12 straight games,the longest active win streak in the NFL ,which also ties the longest win streak in a season in 49ers franchise history ,set in 1984. in that season ,they won their last regular-season games and all three playoffs games ,capping it with a win over the Dolphins in the Super Bowl XIX.
