'No Sugarcoat!' Dak Prescott's Cowboys Downed by 49ers: Playoffs Live Game Log
As the Dallas Cowboys prepared for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the Divisional Round matchup was to feature two quarterbacks who have surprised many recently. ... and one quarterback who will be protected by another "surprise.''
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy's improbably journey from the final overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft - known affectionately as "Mr. Irrelevant" - to starter is the thing fairy tales are made of.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott's season of co-leading the league in interceptions, although missing five games, seemed to have leveled out. ... until it didn't.
"Guys played their asses off on defense, gave us an opportunity to win this game,'' Dak said after the 19-12 loss that featured two back-breaking interceptions. "For us to only put up the points that we did, that's unacceptable. It starts with me. I've got to be better.
"There's no other way to sugarcoat it."
How did this all unfold? Follow along ...
Both signal-callers had impressive games in the Wild Card Round, and both teams look like offensive powerhouses heading into Sunday.
Prescott threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another in Dallas' impressive win at Tampa Bay. It was a much-improved performance over the way he ended the regular season, with 11 interceptions over his final seven games.
He's been helped greatly by rookie first-round offensive lineman Tyler Smith, whose selection was criticized by many at the time ... but praised by all now.
Said Dak: "He’s a baller. He’s a baller and a mauler. Strong as hell. ... To just be 21 and playing the way he’s playing is so, so impressive."
Part of Tyler's talent is versatility. Depending on the health of vet linemen Tyron Smith and Jason Peters, he's shuffled from left tackle to left guard, at a moment's notice, with no noticeable problem. In fact, he's been so good at left tackle - where he will start today against Nick Bosa and the vaunted Niners defense - that when institution Tyron returned to the lineup late in the season, it was Tyron, not Tyler, who shifted to the right side.
Said another institution, guard Zack Martin: “I don’t think people are giving (Tyler) the credit he deserves. … God, he’s just such a freak.”
Meanwhile, another rookie is central to the Niners' success.
Purdy's performance has been less expected than Dak's turnaround.
The rookie quarterback threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns and scored another on the ground. Purdy became the first rookie signal-caller to account for four touchdowns in a playoff game while throwing for the most yards by a rookie in a playoff win since Sammy Baugh in 1937.
“I definitely won’t underestimate him,” Cowboys linebacker/edge rusher Micah Parsons said. “He might have surprised some people early on into thinking no rookie is going to come in and beat us and he’s taken them this far. Super excited to go against him to see what he’s got.”
Dallas has won five of the last eight against the 49ers but lost 23-17 to San Francisco at AT&T Stadium in the Wild Card Round last year.
FIRST QUARTER: 49ers 3, Cowboys 0
The 49ers will start the game with the ball first.
McCaffrey runs off right tackle for no gain, then Purdy is sacked for a loss of nine yards to the SF 16. On 3rd and 19, Purdy hits Samuel for 12 yards.
Wishnowsky punts 46 yards to DAL 26.
Prescott passes incomplete short left to Lamb. PENALTY on DAL-Ty.Smith, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at DAL 26 - No Play.
Pollard left end to DAL 22 for 6 yards, Prescott pass short right to T.Hilton to DAL 36 for 14 yards.
Pollard right guard to DAL 35 for -2 yards, Prescott pass short left to C.Lamb to DAL 40 for 5 yards.
On 3rd and 7, Prescott pass incomplete short middle to D.Schultz.
Anger punts 55 yards to the SF 5, returned by McCloud to the SF 18.
McCaffrey right tackle to SF 21 for 3 yards, Samuel right tackle to SF 27 for 6 yards. On 3rd and 1, McCaffrey up the middle to SF 30 for 3 yards.
Purdy pass deep right to G.Kittle to DAL 39 for 31 yards.
McCaffrey up the middle to DAL 38 for 1 yard, Purdy pass incomplete deep left to B.Aiyuk. On 3rd and 9, Purdy pass incomplete short left to C. McCaffrey.
Wishnowsky punts 38 yards to end zone.
Elliott right tackle to DAL 21 for 1 yard, Pollard left end to DAL 21 for no gain.
INTERCEPTION 49ERS: Prescott pass short left intended for M. Gallup INTERCEPTED by D. Lenoir at DAL 27. D. Lenoir pushed ob at DAL 21 for 6 yards.
Purdy sacked at DAL 27 for -6 yards, Purdy pass short left to McCaffrey to DAL 27 for no gain. Purdy pass deep right to B.Aiyuk to DAL 10 for 17 yards.
Purdy pass short right to McCaffrey to DAL 8 for 2 yards. DAL-C. Watkins was injured during the play.
Purdy up the middle to DAL 8 for no gain, Purdy pass incomplete short left.
FIELD GOAL 49ERS: Gould 26 yard field goal is GOOD with 2:12 left in the first quarter. The scoring drive goes 13 yards in 7 plays and took 3:37 off the clock.
Gould kicks 62 yards from SF 35 to DAL 3. K. Turpin to DAL 26 for 23 yards.
Prescott pass short right to N.Brown pushed ob at DAL 29 for 3 yards, Prescott pass short right to C.Lamb ran ob at DAL 36 for 7 yards and a first down.
PENALTY on DAL-Ty.Smith, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at DAL 36 - No Play.
Pollard right tackle to DAL 41 for 10 yards, Pollard up the middle to DAL 44 for 3 yards for a 3rd and 2 upcoming.
END OF THE FIRST QUARTER
SECOND QUARTER: 49ers 9, Cowboys 6
Prescott pass short right to N.Brown to SF 38 for 18 yards.
Pollard up the middle to SF 33 for 5 yards, Elliott up the middle to SF 29 for 4 yards for a 3rd and 1. Elliott up the middle to SF 28 for 1 yard and a first down.
Prescott pass short right to Elliott to SF 30 for -2 yards, Prescott pass short right to Lamb to SF 25 for 5 yards and a 3rd and 7. Prescott pass short middle to Lamb to SF 19 for 6 yards.
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSION COWBOYS: Lamb right end to SF 15 for 4 yards.
Prescott left end to SF 4 for 11 yards.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS: Prescott pass short right to D.Schultz for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Maher's extra point is BLOCKED for a 6-3 Cowboys lead. The scoring drive goes 74 yards in 14 plays and took 7:47 off the clock.
Maher kicks 65 yards from DAL 35 to end zone, Touchback.
Purdy scrambles left end pushed ob at SF 27 for 2 yards, Samuel left tackle to SF 28 for 1 yard, Purdy pass short right to McCaffrey to SF 35 for 7 yards.
Mitchell right guard to SF 37 for 2 yards, Purdy pass short left to D.Samuel to SF 43 for 6 yards, Purdy pass short right to J.Jennings to SF 48 for 5 yards. PENALTY on DAL-D.Bland, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at SF 48.
Mitchell left tackle to DAL 37 for no gain. PENALTY on SF-A.Banks, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at DAL 37 - No Play.
Purdy pass short right to G.Kittle to DAL 46 for 1 yard.
Timeout #1 by SF at 04:36
Purdy pass short middle to D.Samuel to DAL 29 for 17 yards, Purdy pass incomplete short left to D.Samuel.
FIELD GOAL 49ERS: Gould 47 yard field goal is GOOD for a 6-6 game with 3:43 left in the half. The scoring drive goes 46 yards in 10 plays and took 5:42 off the clock.
Gould kicks 66 yards from SF 35 to DAL -1. K. Turpin to DAL 35 for 36 yards.
Prescott pass short left to E.Elliott ran ob at DAL 44 for 9 yards. PENALTY on SF-D. Greenlaw, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at DAL 44.
Elliott right end to SF 38 for 3 yards, Prescott pass incomplete short left to T.Pollard.
Timeout #1 by DAL at 02:44
Prescott pass short left to T.Pollard to SF 35 for 3 yards.
Two-Minute Warning
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSION: Prescott scrambles right guard to SF 26 for 9 yards and a first down.
Prescott pass short middle to T.Pollard to SF 18 for 8 yards (J.Ward). DAL-T.Pollard was injured during the play.
Timeout #2 by DAL at 01:24
INTERCEPTION 49ers: Prescott pass intended for Lamb INTERCEPTED by Warner at SF 12. Warner to SF 28 for 16 yards.
Samuel right guard to SF 36 for 8 yards, McCaffrey right guard to SF 37 for 1 yard.
Timeout #2 by SF at 00:30
Purdy pass short middle to D.Samuel to SF 47 for 10 yards.
Timeout #3 by SF at 00:24
Purdy pass incomplete deep middle to B.Aiyuk, Purdy pass deep left to J.Jennings ran ob at DAL 32 for 21 yards.
Purdy pass incomplete deep left, Purdy pass incomplete short right.
Timeout #3 by DAL at 00:01
FIELD GOAL 49ers: Gould 50 yard field goal is GOOD for a 9-6 49ers lead. The scoring drive goes 40 yards in eight plays and took 1:15 off the clock.
HALFTIME
THIRD QUARTER: 49ers 9, Cowboys 9
Gould kicks 65 yards from SF 35 to end zone, Touchback.
Elliott left guard to DAL 28 for 3 yards, Prescott scrambles right end to DAL 34 for 6 yards, Prescott pass short left to C.Lamb to DAL 43 for 9 yards and a first down.
Prescott pass short left to D.Schultz to DAL 45 for 2 yards, Elliott right end pushed ob at DAL 48 for 3 yards, Prescott pass incomplete short right to E. Elliott.
FUMBLE RECOVERY COWBOYS: Anger punts 40 yards to SF 12, McCloud to SF 16 for 4 yards FUMBLES, RECOVERED by DAL-D.Clark at SF 21.
Lamb left end to SF 19 for 2 yards, Prescott pass short right to C. Lamb to SF 9 for 10 yards.
Prescott pass short left to D.Schultz to SF 6 for 3 yards, Elliott left guard to SF 7 for -1 yards,
FIELD GOAL COWBOYS: Maher 25 yard field goal is GOOD for a 9-9 tie game. The scoring drive goes 14 yards in six plays and took 2:33 off the clock.
Maher kicks 65 yards from DAL 35 to SF 0. R.McCloud to DAL 47 for 53 yards.
McCaffrey right end to DAL 42 for 5 yards, Samuel left end to DAL 46 for -4 yards. On 3rd and 9, Purdy pass incomplete deep left to C. McCaffrey.
Wishnowsky punts 37 yards to DAL 9, Center-T.Pepper, downed by SF.
Prescott pass deep left to C. Lamb to SF 42 for 49 yards. Penalty on SF-D.Lenoir, Defensive Pass Interference, declined.
Prescott pass incomplete short left to D.Schultz, Elliott up the middle to SF 40 for 5 yards, Prescott pass incomplete deep middle to C.Lamb.
On 4th and 5, PENALTY on DAL, Delay of Game, 5 yards, enforced at SF 40 - No Play.
Anger punts 36 yards to SF 9, Center-M.Overton, fair catch by R.McCloud.
PENALTY on DAL-D.Lawrence, Neutral Zone Infraction, 5 yards, enforced at SF 9 - No Play.
McCaffrey left tackle to SF 21 for 7 yards, McCaffrey left tackle to SF 21 for 7 yards and a first down.
Purdy pass middle to C.McCaffrey to DAL 41 for 8 yards, McCaffrey left guard to DAL 36 for 5 yards and a new set of downs.
McCaffrey right guard to DAL 28 for 8 yards, Mitchell up the middle to DAL 22 for 6 yards for a first down.
Mitchell up the middle to DAL 20 for 2 yards, Purdy pass incomplete short middle to B.Aiyuk. On 3rd and 8, Purdy sacked at DAL 26 for -6 yards (sack split by D.Lawrence and L.Vander Esch). PENALTY on DAL-D.Wilson, Defensive Holding, 5 yards, enforced at DAL 20 - No Play.
Samuel right tackle to DAL 15 for no gain. PENALTY on DAL-J.Hankins, Defensive Holding, 5 yards, enforced at DAL 15 - No Play.
Juszczyk left guard to DAL 2 for 8 yards.
END QUARTER 3
FOURTH QUARTER: 49ers 19, Cowboys 12
TOUCHDOWN 49ERS: McCaffrey up the middle for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. R. Gould extra point is GOOD for a 16-9 SF lead with 14:58 left in the game. The scoring drive goes 91 yards in 10 plays and took 6:00 off the clock.
Gould kicks 66 yards from SF 35 to DAL -1. K.Turpin to DAL 43 for 44 yards.
Prescott pass short left to C.Lamb to DAL 49 for 6 yards, Elliott right tackle to SF 48 for 3 yards. On 3rd and 1, Elliott right tackle to SF 44 for 4 yards.
Prescott pass short left to C.Lamb to SF 27 for 17 yards and a first down.
Prescott sacked at SF 31 for -4 yards, Prescott pass short left to C.Lamb pushed ob at SF 25 for 6 yards. On 3rd and 8, Prescott pass incomplete short middle to C.Lamb.
FIELD GOAL COWBOYS: Maher 43 yard field goal is GOOD for a 16-12 Niners lead with 11:03 left in the game. The scoring drive goes 32 yards in eight plays and took 3:55 off the clock.
Maher kicks 65 yards from DAL 35 to end zone, Touchback.
Purdy pass short middle to G.Kittle to SF 42 for 17 yards and a first down.
Mitchell right tackle to 50 for 8 yards, Mitchell up the middle to 50 for no gain. On 3rd and 2, Purdy pass short right to B.Aiyuk to DAL 41 for 9 yards and a new set of downs.
Mitchell left guard to DAL 36 for 5 yards.
Timeout #1 by SF at 07:31
Mitchell right guard to DAL 34 for 2 yards, then on 3rd and 3, Purdy pass short right to C. McCaffrey to DAL 28 for 6 yards and a first down.
Mitchell left tackle to DAL 25 for 3 yards, Mitchell left guard to DAL 17 for 8 yards and a first down.
Mitchell up the middle to DAL 17 for no gain, Purdy pass incomplete short right to D.Samuel for a 3rd and 10. Purdy scrambles up the middle to DAL 11 for 6 yards.
FIELD GOAL 49ERS: Gould 28 yard field goal is GOOD for a 19-12 Niners lead with 3:04 left.
Gould kicks 64 yards from SF 35 to DAL 1. K. Turpin to DAL 18 for 17 yards.
Prescott passes incomplete short right to D.Schultz, Prescott passes incomplete deep right to M.Gallup. On 3rd and 10, Prescott sacked at DAL 18 for 0 yards.
Anger punts 56 yards to SF 26, fair catch by R.McCloud.
Purdy pass short left to G.Kittle to SF 42 for 16 yards.
Two-Minute Warning
Mitchell left guard to SF 43 for 1 yard.
Timeout #1 by DAL at 01:53
Mitchell right end pushed ob at DAL 44 for 13 yards,
Mitchell up the middle to DAL 43 for 1 yard.
Timeout #2 by DAL at 01:41
Mitchell up the middle to DAL 43 for no gain.
Timeout #3 by DAL at 01:37
Purdy pass short left to C.McCaffrey to DAL 44 for -1 yards.
PENALTY on SF, Delay of Game, 5 yards, enforced at DAL 44 - No Play.
Wishnowsky punts 43 yards to DAL 6, fair catch by K.Turpin.
Prescott pass incomplete short right to D.Schultz, Prescott pass short right to D.Schultz pushed ob at DAL 15 for 9 yards. On 3rd and 1, Prescott pass short right to D.Schultz to DAL 24 for 9 yards.
Prescott pass incomplete deep left to M.Gallup, Prescott pass short right to D.Schultz ran ob at DAL 39 for 15 yards. The Replay Official reviewed the pass completion ruling, and the play was REVERSED. Prescott pass incomplete short right to D.Schultz.
Timeout #2 by SF at 00:06
END OF GAME
**
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