SANTA CLARA — For the second straight season, the Cowboys' road to the Super Bowl, let alone the NFC Championship game, came to an end at the hands of one of their biggest rivals.
Sunday night’s matchup carried decades of history between Dallas and the 49ers turned out to be a tight one once again. Even though Brock Purdy looked human and the Niners struggled to run the ball, San Francisco’s defense stood stout and keyed a 19-12 victory in front of a wild crowd at Levi’s Stadium.
As a result, the Cowboys have not made an NFC Championship game since 1996.
The 49ers figured they might have a chance to cause some turnover with Dak Prescott and they were right, getting two first-half interceptions. San Francisco couldn’t take advantage of a 21-yard field in the first quarter after a Deommodore Lenoir pick and had to settle for a field goal. So the Cowboys were able to keep it close in the final moments of the game.
After Robbie Gould knocked through his fourth field goal of the evening to stay a perfect 29-of-29 lifetime in the playoffs, the Cowboys took over down by seven points with 3:04 left.
Prescott took a couple shots down field before a Samson Ebukam sack forced a punt. After Purdy and the 49ers offense couldn't run out the clock, the defense held off Dallas' desperation drive with under a minute.
The Niners defense had some question marks, especially the secondary, over the past few weeks but looked like the dominant unit that reigned over the first three months of the regular season. Prescott finished 23-of-37 for 206 yards, a touchdown and two picks, while the Cowboys averaged just 3.5 yards per carry (22 rushes, 76 yards).
Purdy finished 19-of-29 for 214 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers. He didn’t throw for two touchdowns in a game for the first time since taking over for Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13. It took until the first play of the fourth quarter for the 49ers to score their first touchdown, as Christian McCaffrey’s two-yard score capped off a 10-play, 91-yard drive. The series was aided by a huge, juggling catch by George Kittle down the middle for 30 yards.
Dating back to the 1994 NFC title game, the 49ers have now won three straight playoff matchups over their rival Cowboys.
The 49ers have reached the NFC Championship for the second straight year and secured a date with the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday (12 p.m. PT).
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