The 49ers got their postseason off to a great start with a win against the Cowboys, setting the stage for an incredible matchup against the Packers in the divisional round. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys made the game close towards the end, but the 49ers were barely able to hold on for win.
Most of the game was impressive for the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan was scheming receivers open against Dan Quinn’s defense, Deebo Samuel was running through Cowboys defenders and defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans called a great game in his first playoff game against a tough offense.
This is a game that 49ers fans should feel good about. Obviously it’s great to win any playoff game, but to go on the road and take down a team littered with stars on both sides of the ball is a true statement.
However, they’ll need to be even better as they head to Lambeau Field to take on the #1 seed Packers — and a lot of that falls on head coach Kyle Shanahan and starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. They mostly had clean games, but they each can do there fair share of the lifting to make sure this team advances to the NFC Championship game.
Shanahan is going to need to be more aggressive against an offense that might have more success against the 49ers defense. Punting on fourth-and-one or taking a penalty to move back when you have a plethora of short yardage options might be too conservative of a plan moving forward. Shanahan is one of the most creative playcallers in the sport and the 49ers are perfectly set up to convert in tough spots. Pull the trigger more often, especially when you need to keep Aaron Rodgers off the field.
Garoppolo just needs to clean up some of the weird plays he has where his brain short-circuits and he winds up throwing the ball to the other team. Garoppolo is great when the image of what he needs to do is clear — when the freelancing starts, he can get in trouble.
🙌🙌🙌
📺: #SFvsDAL on @CBSSports pic.twitter.com/gU8QYMmXzR
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 17, 2022
If the 49ers can just clean up on silly mistakes and be tad more aggressive, they’ll have a much better shot of taking down the Packers. Hopefully getting Nick Bosa and Fred Warner back will change the dynamic for the 49ers as well, because they’re going to need all hands on deck.
An upset against Green Bay is tough, but possible. They’ll need their top dogs to lead them to the promised land.
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