Tag: 2022 divisional round

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard carted off with ankle injury

The Cowboys’ offense took a huge hit with their home-run threat carted to the locker room after an ankle injury. | From @CDBurnett7

After the 49ers knotted the score at six, Dallas took the field with just over three minutes to play in the first half and a chance for a double dip. Following a huge fourth-down conversion, the Cowboys’ home run threat was tackled ackwardly.

Running back Tony Pollard made a wide-open catch and gained eight yards to the San Francisco 18-yard line, but the defender came down on his left ankle and he crawled on his knees before waiting for trainers.

Pollard was helped to the tent by two trainers and it didn’t look good for him. A few minutes later, he was carted to the locker room with an air cast on his leg, a brutal sight for Dallas.

In his absence, Malik Davis will step into the speed role at running back while Ezekiel Elliott would likely get the majority of carries.

WATCH: Prescott divine as Cowboys take lead, but oh, that kicker…

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys responded after the interception but the Maher nightmare continued on the extra point. | From @CDBurnett7

The Cowboys offense got off to a slow start and an ugly interception from quarterback Dak Prescott took the wind out of the sails early in San Francisco. Wide receiver Michael Gallup lacked effort on the play but the defense stepped up after the mishap, only allowing a field goal on a short field.

On the next Dallas drive, the offense responded. The run game delivered with five runs for 25 yards, which set up a big play to wide receiver Noah Brown during the drive for 18 yards. This included a fourth-down conversion from wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, discarding a defender. Two plays later, the play-action struck again with a touchdown to tight end Dalton Schultz.

Prescott was 7-7 on the drive for 41 yards, plus a key 11-yard designed run that got Dallas within goal-to-go.

Following the huge response, the Brett Maher chronicles continued. A kick that looked ugly off his foot was blocked and it’s 6-0 Dallas. If it wasn’t already, it may be time to start going for two.

Carlos Watkins ruled out vs 49ers

Cowboys DL Carlos Watkins stayed down after injury but eventually walked off under his own power. – Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 23, 2023 The Cowboys’ defense is being put to the test early after an untimely interception from quarterback Dak …

The Cowboys’ defense is being put to the test early after an untimely interception from quarterback Dak Prescott. During the ensuing 49ers drive, defensive tackle Carlos Watkins went down but limped to the sideline under his own power.

Watkins and the Dallas defensive line started strong in San Francisco, limitjng the run and making quarterback Brock Purdy scramble often. If Watkins is unable to go, it’s a tough loss considering the early success.

Here’s how Trent Williams, 49ers coaches interrupted Cowboys’ kicking warmups

Tempers flared pregame with some mind games from the 49ers followed by a field visit by the Cowboys owner to make his presence known. | From @cdburnett7

The 49ers’ mental games started instantly in San Francisco. Cowboys kicker Brett Maher was going through his pregame routine, a very important one considering his 1-for-5 outing on extra points in the wild card round before a group of 49ers players and coaches got in his way.

A spirited meeting between plays from both teams ensued, with a star for the 49ers chirping at Dallas and it even sparked the the Cowboys owner to come down and speak to his kicker. Take a look at the full string of events.

Cowboys-49ers Inactives: Jason Peters out on his birthday, Kearse in

The Cowboys’ birthday boy will have to celebrate on the sidelines as the Cowboys and 49ers announce inactives for the divisional duel.

The Cowboys and 49ers both come into the divisional round contest near 100%. Dallas will be without the birthday boy as offensive tackle Jason Peters is inactive after he suffered a hip injury in the wild card round against the Buccaneers. In his absence, the pair of Tyler Smith and Connor McGovern stepped up and made quarterback Dak Prescott look comfortable in the pocket so Peters will be celebrating his 41st from the sideline.

Safety Jayron Kearse left the game in Tampa Bay during the second half with a knee injury but pleaded to media during the week that he would be ready on game day and he’s active to lead the Cowboys safety room. Tight end Peyton Hendershot is inactive after an injury also suffered during the wild card game, so Dallas will be shorthanded upfront against a prolific pass rush.

On the other side, San Francisco has their full cast ready. Starting defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw and Samson Ebukam were limited on the first two days of practice but practiced fully heading into game day. With a NFC Championship spot on the line, take a look at the inactives for Cowboys-49ers.

Brock Purdy’s success may not be sustainable, can Cowboys capitalize?

The rookie has been defying odds with his splits indicating a regression could be in store if only the Cowboys can take advantage. | From @ReidDHanson

File this under “famous last words,” but at some point Brock Purdy’s luck is going to run out. Eventually, he has to regress to the mean. The bubble has to burst. The ship has to sail. The mistakes have to come. Right?

As the Dallas Cowboys prepare to take the field later Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers for their divisional round matchup, they have to feel good facing off against a rookie. Even a rookie that’s been pretty darn lights out.

Since taking the reins in Week 13, Purdy has put up an impressive stat line. He’s posted 1,374 yards through the air, completing 67.1 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He’s driven the 49ers offense to a No: 1 ranking in EPA (expected points added) and he’s gone undefeated doing it.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan, has a reputation for making things easy on his signal callers. He applies a run-heavy attack, uses motion to move defenders and to expose coverages and he designs plays that uncover receivers and make reads easy. Purdy is the latest beneficiary.

Mike McCarthy recently discussed how the Cowboys are scouting Purdy and none of it involves college tape. “He’s not a rookie anymore in our eyes,” McCarthy said. “You don’t see a young player making panicked decisions.”

While ignoring the strengths and weakness of Purdy’s scouting report aren’t advisable (or believable), the point has been made: Purdy is a legitimate NFL QB who’s more than capable of winning playoff games with this ultra-loaded 49ers squad.

49ers enjoy slim statistical edge over Cowboys, but it can be overcome

The Cowboys and 49ers are on a collision course in the playoffs for the second season in a row. The margin for error this week is tiny. | From @ProfessorO_NFL

Oscar Wilde once said “Life imitates art” and for this season’s Dallas Cowboys it couldn’t be more true.  In many ways, this season has mirrored last season. The Cowboys finished both campaigns with a 12-5 record and as destiny would have it, they faced off with the San Francisco 49ers in the postseason.  However, unlike last season, the Cowboys are the wild-card team and the 49ers are the team that is the favorite and hosting the game.

The Cowboys kicked off their postseason run with an impressive 31-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Entering the game the team faced questions about playing on natural grass, the drought between road playoff wins and even the record against Tom Brady. When the final seconds dripped off the clock, all of those were answered with resounding confirmation this team is resilient and unafraid of a challenge.

Enter the San Francisco 49ers, and boy are they a challenge. They have a formidable defense, one of the top scoring offenses in the league and a bevy of weapons they can attack a defense with. Taking a step back from the physical talent, they are a well coached team led by Kyle Shanahan, one of the best offensive minds in the game, and by one of the most revered defensive minds in the league in coordinator Demeco Ryans.

Each week we open up the Advanced Stat Notebook to analyze how each team ranks in EPA, DVOA, ANY/A and Toxic Differential. These four key metrics have a high correlation to win probability.

How to watch, stream, listen to Cowboys-49ers divisional round fight

Key game information, including ATS histories, our favorite prop bet, listening, streaming options and more. | From @KDDrummondNFL

It doesn’t matter that Dallas played on Monday and San Francisco played Saturday. It is what it is. It doesn’t matter that the Cowboys hosted the 49ers in last year’s wild-card game and came out unprepared. It is what it is. It doesn’t matter that Dallas has a 5-3 advantage in head-to-head playoff matchups. It is what it is.

Nor does it matter that the two teams have a combined 10 Lombardis, that Dallas is playing a road game on grass, that the 49ers have won 11 in a row, or that both head coaches could lose their defensive coordinators to head coaching gigs over the coming weeks. The only thing that matters is there is 60 minutes of football to be played on Sunday evening and it should be a glorious battle of wills, talent and intelligence. The final game of the divisional round is now mere hours away. Here’s everything you’ll need to know.

55-Man Roster: Cowboys release CB ahead of 49ers matchup, won’t backstop big worry

The Cowboys had some work to do to have eight OL for the game, and it impacted a couple other decisions. | from @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys can’t afford to have any dead weight on their roster ahead of the divisional round game. On Saturday, nearing the 24-hour countdown to the rematch against the San Francisco 49ers, the club made several moves to prepare for their biggest game in the last five seasons. Like 2018, Dallas won their home wild-card game and now travels to California to take on the NFC West champions, only this time it’s to San Francisco instead of Los Angeles.

The biggest injury news this week was the loss of left tackle Jason Peters, ruled out on Friday. So there is a clear need to replace him on the game-day roster and the Cowboys have shuffled their lineup in accordance. Dallas is adding Aviante Collins from the practice squad, and to create space are releasing CB Treyvon Mullen.

Mullen had a chance to prove his worth in the Week 18 season finale but made only a negative impact and was left inactive in the wild-card win over Tampa Bay. In addition to adding Collins, the club is adding two players from the practice squad, but not one many expected.

CB Xavier Rhodes was added ahead of Week 18 and played 24 snaps against the Buccaneers, will once again be one of two elevations. The team is also adding another OL to allow them to dress eight and maximize the game-day roster rules. But that means there is no insurance for kicker Brett Maher, who missed four extra points in the wild-card win.

The team signed kicker Tristan Vizciano this week, but is not bringing him to the game. Here’s a look at the Cowboys’ full 55-man roster they’ll have at their disposal when making their inactive decisions on Sunday.

Cowboys vs 49ers comes down to big plays and clean tackles

The divisional round will likely come down to which team tackles better and prevents the big plays, the Cowboys or the 49ers. | From @ReidDHanson

For as much praise as the Cowboys defense has been getting this season, they’ve developed quite the reputation for giving up big plays as of late. Even before the horrific regular season finale in Washington, Dallas’ big play issue was becoming a trend. As Bob Strum from the Athletic pointed out, their big-play allowance rate over the previous three games grew from 2.4 per game to 5.3.

A likely byproduct of their unrest at CB2, Dallas was facing the consequences for their constant testing of Anthony Brown replacements. In the wild-card round against Tampa Bay, they rolled out their solution.

Employing heavy 2-high looks, the Cowboys capped the top to prevent receivers from beating them deep. Dallas also moved DaRon Bland, their second-most trusted cornerback, out to the boundary and inserted safety Israel Mukuamu, a college cornerback, to play in the slot.

Against the run-heavy 49ers, that same coverage-focused defensive scheme may not be possible.