By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers
Sunday – January 22 – 5:30 p.m.
TV: FOX
Levi’s Stadium – Santa Clara, CA
Records Before the Game
Dallas Cowboys (12-5, 4-4 Away)
San Francisco 49ers (13-4, 8-1 Home)
These two teams met last season in the playoffs. Dallas played the wild card game against the 49ers at home and lost a very winnable game. Their rivalry is well documented. It feels like it’s been years since these two teams played for anything this big against each other. This season, Dak and the ‘Boys will need to exorcise their demons of playoffs past. The Cowboys retired Tom Brady last week and now they set their sights on the 49ers rookie signal caller Brock Purdy! This will be one of the best games of the playoffs this postseason. Let’s take a closer look at this Sunday’s NFC Divisional game.
Getting Over the Hump
Dak Prescott is a top tier quarterback! You can think whatever you want but I’m writing this piece and you’re reading what I’m talking about right now. He’s been paid all of this money to perform at a high level. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore should allow him to play his game. Dak will need to use his feet to break containment to extend the play with his feet.
Dallas Cowboys
Last week the football world was waiting for Tom Brady to be his terrific self. I shared that the Cowboys would beat them 31-18 but the final score ended up being 31-14. I shared that the Cowboys needed to get the running game on track with Zeke and Tony Pollard. The Cowboys started off slow on offense, but the defense showed the physicality and hunger; stifling the Buccaneers offense. Keep your eyes on the passing game and tight end Dalton Shultz. No one ever talks about him, and he has quietly caught 57 passes this year and scored 5 touchdowns in the red zone. He is averaging 10.1 yards per catch. Shultz is the x-factor for the Cowboys. This will be the game of all games for Dallas and will lead this team into the NFC Championship game.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback Brock Purdy has set the NFL on fire since becoming the starter for the Niners. He has passed for 1374 yards with 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has some nice wins overs Seattle, Arizona, Las Vegas, Washington and Jacksonville. What he hasn’t faced is the Dallas Cowboys defense. The 49ers offense is scoring 26.5 points a game while the defense is giving up 23 points per game on that side of the ball. The 49ers will have their hands full on defense trying to stop the run. Stopping the run will be an important factor for this team to get a win at home. However the true x-factor is Purdy and his ability to manage the offense.
Prediction
ESPN has the Cowboys with a 53.2% chance of winning this one on the road. The key for the Cowboys run the ball because the 49ers give up 104 yards to opposition while Dallas gives up 52. Keep an eye on the Dallas defense they are giving up 14 points per game. I’m taking Da’ Boys by 8!
Final Score
Cowboys – 31
49ers – 23
