One of the most heated playoff rivalries in NFL history will be renewed on Sunday as the Divisional Round wraps up with the San Francisco 49ers welcoming the Dallas Cowboys to Levi's Stadium.
The Niners remained hot last weekend, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 41-23 and extending their winning streak to 11 games, while the Cowboys were as convincing as we had seen in weeks, easing their way past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14.
Match preview
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When you play a team as dynamic in all facets of the game as San Francisco, it does not take much for you to find yourself behind - ask Seattle, who played them as well as anyone had in the opening half last week but could not keep up in the second half.
Even though the 49ers gave up over 330 yards to the Seahawks last week, the Niners' defence limited the damage as we have seen them do all season, conceding 24+ points just three times in 2022-23.
Kyle Shanahan has seen his team steamroll virtually all those who lie in their wake, putting up 505 total yards last week, while rushing for 181 and boasting two turnovers.
Those kinds of numbers are indicative of the type of season it has been for the 49ers as they have got contributions across the board, conceding the fewest yards-per-game in the regular season (300.6) and possessing the best turnover differential (+13) while also registering 44 sacks.
They finished the regular season tied for the most interceptions in the NFL (20), allowing the fifth-lowest rating through the air (82.7) while holding running backs to a mere 3.3 yards per carry, the lowest average in the league.
There are so many noteworthy attributes for the Niners that we barely mentioned their offence, which lately have looked virtually unstoppable, posting 37+ points in four consecutive games, and rushing for over 150 yards in their last six.
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Facing the pressure of being America's Team seems to have worn heavy on the Cowboys at times, but on Monday, they answered many of their critics who questioned their ability to win big games.
Aside from a dismal kicking display, Dallas did just about everything right against the Bucs, putting up 425 total yards, passing for just under 300, averaging 6.2 yards a play and perhaps most importantly, failing to turn the ball over for the first time in eight games.
While Tom Brady was a shadow of himself this season, for Mike McCarthy's defence to hold perhaps the biggest clutch quarterback in NFL history to a mere 5.2 yards per attempt and a 72.2 rating says a lot about how strong the Cowboys are defensively.
There are a plethora of Cowboy pass rushers to contend with every week, as Dallas had four players with six or more quarterback sacks in the regular season.
During the regular season, they were solid against opposing running backs, holding them to a 4.2-yard average, though they will face a much more formidable unit this weekend than we saw on Monday when the Bucs duo of Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White had a combined 12 carries for 52 yards.
The Cowboys not only moved the ball well against the Bucs, but they also capitalised on their opportunities, finding the end zone five times, one more than in their previous two outings combined.
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Mr Irrelevant, aka Brock Purdy, had a sizzling playoff debut, ending with a 131.5 rating, including three touchdown passes, Christian McCaffrey ran for 119 yards and had a TD grab, Deebo Samuel scorched the Seahawks secondary with 133 yards on six catches plus a touchdown, while Elijah Mitchell caught just two passes though one was for a score and Brandon Aiyuk put up 73 yards through the air on three catches.
Nick Bosa, who led the league in sacks (18.5) and QB hits (48) during the regular season, did not register a sack versus Seattle, while Deommodore Lenoir had an interception.
Dre Greenlaw made eight tackles last week, while Charvarius Ward had a rough outing, giving up seven receptions for 105 yards and a score.
Javon Kinlaw has been dealing with a sore knee, Jauan Jennings and Samson Ebukam are recovering from ankle issues, while Jimmy Garoppolo remains out because of a foot injury.
Dak Prescott put together perhaps the best playoff performance of his NFL career on Monday, with the Cowboys pivot putting up a 143.3 rating, throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns, two to Dalton Schultz, who had 95 yards receiving, while CeeDee Lamb had four grabs along with a score and Michael Gallup had the other one.
Tyler Smith will be tasked with slowing down the Niners' vaunted pass rush, and he struggled during the regular season, allowing seven sacks, DaRon Bland conceded eight catches and a touchdown versus Tampa, Micah Parsons had one sack, while Brett Maher was probably the only miserable Cowboy on Monday as he missed four extra points.
Jason Peters is doubtful due to a hip flexor, Trayvon Mullen practised this week despite being under the weather, Israel Mukuamu should play even though he has a sore hamstring, while Jayron Kearse has a knee injury.
Head To Head
These teams have only met 38 times before, with Dallas holding a 19-18-1 edge all-time, with eight of those meetings coming in the postseason.
The most recent playoff encounter between these two occurred last year in Arlington, with the Niners winning 23-17 as Deebo and Mitchell each had a running score, Robbie Gould kicked three field goals and Dak Prescott ran out the clock to the delight of San Francisco, who advanced to the NFC Divisional Round.
Dallas beat the 49ers in its previous visit to Levi's Stadium, 40-10 in 2017 as Ezekiel Elliott ran for three touchdowns, and Jason Witten had a second-quarter touchdown catch.
The playoff history between these two dates back to the early 70s as Dallas beat the Niners three times during that decade, including a narrow 30-28 triumph in December 1972.
In January 1982, though, it was the 49ers' turn to cause some heartache as Dwight Clark had a pair of TD catches from Joe Montana, including the winning score in the fourth quarter as San Francisco won 28-27 and went on to win its first Super Bowl.
Over a decade later in 1993, Emmitt Smith ran for a pair of touchdowns, helping the Cowboys beat the Niners 30-20 en route to a Super Bowl title.
The Cowboys running back did it again a year later in the NFC Championship game, while Troy Aikman threw two touchdown passes as Dallas won 38-21, and eventually captured their second successive world championship.
San Francisco exacted a little revenge in 1995 as Eric Davis had a pick-six, while Ricky Watters and Steve Young each ran for a score against the Cowboys.
Young also hit Jerry Rice for a touchdown in that game which the Niners won 38-28 to claim the NFC Championship, where once again, they went on to capture the Super Bowl, their last one to date.
We say: San Francisco 49ers 34-24 Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys made a massive statement on Monday, and we expect they will be able to bring that confidence into San Francisco this weekend and make this a competitive game.
Unfortunately for Dallas, the 49ers should be able to match up exceptionally well, and we believe they will have an answer for anything that the Cowboys passing attack can throw at them, while San Fran should have a decided edge along the line of scrimmage, something that might be all they need to advance to the NFC Championship Game.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
