Cowboys Doomed by Miscues Against 49ers’ Defense

On Sunday, Warner said the 49ers’ defense played to its potential.

“For the most part it felt like us, man,” Warner said. “Obviously we know that we got to play big-time football in the playoffs to have a chance to win this next game.”

For the 49ers, it was the first game in which the rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 draft, looked flustered. The Cowboys’ pass rush consistently pressured Purdy, who was sacked twice. He missed several throws, including a few that should have been intercepted had they not been dropped. Purdy said after the game that his play annoyed him.

“There’s times in the game where it’s like, man, I want to be better. I want to capitalize on third downs, and finish when we get in the red zone,” said Purdy, who finished with 214 passing yards and no touchdowns. “But at the same time, man, it’s the N.F.L. It’s not easy to do on your own. And so, for me, it’s like, man, I got to do my part.”

But the team’s star-studded supporting cast and Coach Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling did just enough against a Cowboys defense that made the 49ers struggle to gain yards in ways they hadn’t on their 10-game winning streak to close the regular season. Running back Christian McCaffrey scored the 49ers’ only touchdown in the third quarter, while the rest of the scoring came from four field goals from Gould.

The 49ers will make their second straight appearance in an N.F.C. championship game and their third in the last four seasons when they face the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday.

Jerry Jones, the Cowboys’ owner and general manager, told reporters after the game that he thought the team had an advantage in the game at quarterback, but Prescott’s struggles took it away.

“With Dak at quarterback I thought we had a chance to get to and compete at the top level in this tournament,” Jones said. “I really did. That was our edge here tonight — I thought.”

The loss added to a lengthy list of painful playoff disappointments for Dallas, which has just five postseason victories since last winning the Super Bowl in the 1995 season. The Cowboys have zero conference championship appearances since then.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/22/sports/football/49ers-cowboys-score-nfl-playoffs.html