Editorial

49ers Squeak By Cowboys To Advance To NFC Championship Game

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Dallas Cowboys v San Francisco 49ers

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Seth Roy Contributor
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The San Francisco 49ers are heading back to the NFC Championship game.

The 49ers shut down the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday 19-12 to advance to their second consecutive conference championship game. With the win, the 49ers will travel to Philadelphia to take on the one-seeded Eagles for an opportunity to play in Super Bowl 57.

The 49ers wouldn’t have won this game wihtout their defense. San Francisco’s defense held Dallas’ offense under 300 yards of total offense, according to ESPN. They also intercepted two passes from Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott.

San Francisco’s defense made it hell for the Cowboys and their offense to move the ball all game long. There wasn’t anything Prescott, Ezekiel Elliot, CeeDee Lamb, or any other star player on their offense could do to consistently move the sticks. To me, it seemed like the Cowboys offense really let their defense down by their inability to score touchdowns. Their defense kept the Niners’ offense out of the end zone until the fourth quarter and seemingly did all they could to win the game.

(RELATED: Eagles Annihilate Giants To Advance To NFC Championship Game. Will They Make It To The Super Bowl?)

San Francisco took the lead in the final quarter after driving 91yards down the field on 10 plays. Running back Christian McCaffrey punched the ball into the end zone on a two-yard run to go up six and break the 9-9 tie.

McCaffrey’s touchdown was impressive, but San Francisco’s offense wouldn’t have been in that position to begin with if it wasn’t for tight-end, George Kittle, making huge plays down the stretch. During their touchdown drive, Kittle hauled in a circus-like catch for 30-yards to place the ball near midfield. Brock Purdy’s pass hit Kittle in his right-hand, then his facemask, and then he somehow gathered it in for the catch after the football floated in the air.

It was a SportsCenter top-ten play if I’ve ever seen one.

A few plays later, Kittle forced a holding penalty on Cowboys’ safety Donovan Wilson on a big 3rd down play in which Brock Purdy was sacked. This extended the 49ers drive and kept their offense on the field instead of lining up for another field-goal attempt.

The two squads would trade field-goals in wake of McCaffrey’s touchdown run, but the 49ers would ultimately come away with the victory.

It was a solid win for San Fran. They’re hard to root against considering how they’re on their third-string QB right now.

That said, after seeing the Eagles beat up on the Giants the way that they did on Saturday, I think they’ll outlast the 49ers in the NFC title game to head to the Super Bowl.