San Francisco defeats Dallas in thriller. 5 Burning questions answered
It may not have been pretty, but the San Francisco 49ers are progressing into the NFC playoffs after beating Dallas 23-17 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
San Francisco dominated the first three quarters of the game and led 23-7 at the start of the final period.
A fake punt by Dallas and an interception by Jimmy Garoppolo allowed the Cowboys to close at six.
San Francisco played without Nick Bosa, who suffered a concussion in the second quarter, and Fred Warner, who went down with an ankle injury, and made two big saves to secure the win.
San Francisco will travel to Green Bay next week to take on the Packers.
Here are the answers to the five questions we asked on Saturday:
- Can the 49ers hold the football? no
With a Cowboys team that forced the most turnovers in the NFL this season, San Francisco was unable to play a clean game offensively. The 49ers’ only turnover came when Jimmy Garoppolo was intercepted by Anthony Brown in the fourth quarter with just under 10 minutes to go.
Luckily for the 49ers, Dak Prescott was also in a giving mood.
Late in the third quarter, K’Waun Williams picked up a Prescott pass intended for Cedric Wilson.
Garoppolo and Prescott’s interceptions would result in touchdowns, leveling each other out.
- Will Jimmy Garoppolo advance to the playoffs in his second trip? Yes and no
It was a story of two halves for Jimmy Garoppolo, who finished the game on 16 of 25 for 172 yards and an interception.
Garoppolo was on the money for much of the first half, hitting several key shots to move the sticks and leading San Francisco’s offense to points on the first four possessions of the game to a 16-7 first-half lead build up.
The second half was a different story as Garoppolo made several errors that nearly cost San Francisco the game.
Garoppolo’s first error came with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter and San Francisco in third and tenth. Garoppolo had Brandon Aiyuk open on a deep post corner for a big win, but his throw would sail incompletely over Aiyuk’s head. Dallas would get a field goal to draw within 13 on the next drive.
Garoppolo’s second mistake would happen on next possession. With the ball at the 44, Garoppolo would roll to the right and open Trent Sherfield. The ball would sail high, and Cowboys defenseman Anthony Brown would come up with the interception to place Dallas deep in San Francisco territory. The ensuing drive would end with the Cowboys getting into the end zone to get to six.
Garoppolo, with just 40 seconds left and only 40 seconds left, was fourth and inches, hitting the late-game trifecta by rushing the snap and not allowing Trent Williams to sit down after failing at one quarterback sneak from right to left. Instead of ending the game, San Francisco would be forced to return the ball to Dallas one last time.
That last mistake should never have happened. With the game balanced, Kyle Shanahan was a little too cute when he asked Williams to move. San Francisco has been very good at running quarterback sneaks all season, it wasn’t necessary given the situation and it almost cost them.
- Can San Francisco take advantage of the Cowboys’ run defense? Yes
As in the second half of the season, San Francisco was able to be successful with its running game.
Led by Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel, the 49ers offense hauled the ball for 169 yards in 38 tries against Dallas.
Mitchell was a workhorse for San Francisco during his rookie season. Against Dallas, Mitchell would carry the ball 27 times for 96 yards and the game’s first touchdown. This was the sixth straight game with 21 or more carries for Mitchell.
Deebo Samuel had no intention of letting the newcomer show him off. Earlier this week, Samuel called himself a “wide-back,” a wide receiver who plays running back. Against Dallas, the 49ers wide back carried the ball for 72 yards ten times, including a 26-yard burst, to give the 49ers a 23-7 lead in the third quarter.
San Francisco is now 7-0 if Samuel has at least six carries in a game.
- Will San Francisco be able to contain the Cowboys’ passing game? Yes
The 49ers’ pass defense was extremely good throughout the second half of the season. They kept the Los Angeles Rams under 300 yards in both encounters, Cincinnati needed overtime to surpass that mark, and on Sunday they held Dak Prescott and the league’s top scorer by just 230 yards.
It starts in front for San Francisco. The 49ers pass rush, led by Arik Armstead and Charles Omenihu, was able to hit Prescott 14 times and fire the Cowboys quarterback five times.
After Nick Bosa was out with a concussion, Omenihu, acquired before the deadline in a trade with the Houston Texans, stepped in to record 1.5 sacks and three hits from Prescott. No matter what happens in the rest of the playoffs, Omenihu’s performance today made the trade worth it.
While the pass rush was busy chasing Prescott, K’Waun Williams made what looked like a game-winning play when he intercepted a Prescott pass at the Cowboys’ 26-yard line.
49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans also deserves credit here.
Playing without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, Ryans claimed total blitz late in the fourth quarter, with Dallas in fourth and 11th. Though the pressure didn’t reach Prescott, it forced him to simply throw a prayer that would be incomplete and, for now, looks like it will seal the game for San Francisco.
Ryans displayed excellent awareness in the game’s waning moments. Realizing the only way to stop the clock was to throw passes toward the touchline, Ryans instructed his linebackers and secondary to line up along the boundary and leave center field wide open.
Prescott would use this alignment to sprint to center field for a 17-yard gain. With the clock running, the Cowboys failed to spike the ball in time to stop the clock for one final play to the end zone.
- Can the 49ers Defense Control the Line of Scrimmage? Yes
San Francisco came into play after keeping opposing offenses under 100 yards in nine straight games. Against Dallas, the 49ers extended that streak to 10 and held the Cowboys to just 77 yards with 21 carries.
Dre Greenlaw set the tone on the second play, dropping Ezekiel Elliott with a three-loss. The linebacker group for San Francisco had a great game as Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair and Fred Warner all recorded five tackles.
forecast
49ers 27 Cowboys 24
