Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Takeaways from the. 49ers’ Sunday night smackdown of the Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers left no doubt on Sunday night, thumping the visiting Dallas Cowboys 42-10 at Levi’s Stadium.
It was the kind of statement win that puts teams firmly in an elite tier that mot teams don’t reside in.
Here are our takeaways from San Francisco’s fifth win of the year:
The Rams game in Week 2 might have prepared the #49ers for what the Cowboys are trying to do on offense. Read:
The Rams in Week 2 against the 49ers had a plan. They weren’t going to allow San Francisco’s pass rush to get to their quarterback, and they were going to take advantage of the space given to them by the 49ers’ soft coverage. It resulted in 17 first-half points for Los Angeles – more than the 49ers have allowed in any game this season.
A second-half adjustment by defensive coordinator Steve Wilks put a stop to that game plan by LA. The 49ers started blitzing heavily and pressing up on Rams pass catchers. Those changes resulted in just six second-half points for the Rams. Those changes might also be how Wilks and his defense approach a Cowboys club that’s lived on short throws this season.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott heading into Week 5 is tied with Giants QB Daniel Jones and Panthers rookie QB Bryce Young for the lowest average depth of target (ADOT) in the league at 6.2 yards.
Nearly 71 percent of Prescott’s throws this season have been either behind the line of scrimmage or within nine yards of the line of scrimmage. Dallas is living in that area while they’ve dealt with injuries on the offensive line and tried to avoid turnovers from their QB.
It stands to reason they’ll have a similar game plan against the 49ers, especially after Prescott struggled in last year’s divisional playoff game at Levi’s Stadium.
Still, Wilks and the 49ers are aware of Prescott’s ability to throw it accurately down the field, and they’re ready to adjust accordingly.
“I think it’s always the flow of the game,” Wilks said. “Everything equates with that, personnel, down and distance, where we’re on the field, those kind of things. So that goes into calling the game and trying to get the guys in the best position to be successful. So, coming into a game and knowing that they’re getting the ball out quick, it’s different things that we have to do. But don’t take it slight down, they will push the ball down the field as well. So we have to make sure that our eyes are in the right spot, we’re working on our technique so we don’t give them an explosive play.”
Perhaps the 49ers are more concerned with limiting big plays, something they’ve done better than any team in the NFL through four games, and they let Prescott have his easy underneath throws before adjusting as needed. They’d rather do that than get burned by a deep throw. Prescott is 6-of-11 with one touchdown on throws of 20-plus yards this season.
Both of these teams are extremely talented and figure to be in the hunt for a Super Bowl come January. How and when the 49ers adjust to Dallas’ offense could ultimately decide not only Sunday night’s game, but who visits who if these teams match up again in the postseason.
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The 5 George Kittle catches you meet in the divisional playoffs:
The 49ers’ defense was the tip of the spear that led San Francisco to its divisional playoff win over the Cowboys on Sunday, but tight end George Kittle did his part on the other side of the ball.
Kittle, the unquestioned offensive star of the game for the 49ers, posted five catches for 95 yards on five targets. It was the best postseason performance of his career, and he was in the middle of virtually every key offensive moment for San Francisco. Four of his five catches were significant, and another non-catch jumps out as perhaps the turning point of Sunday’s showdown at Levi’s Stadium.
Here are the five (but technically four) George Kittle catches you meet in the divisional playoffs:
The 49ers’ divisional playoff injury report is mostly clean.
The 49ers’ injury report for the second consecutive playoff game is relatively clean. Only quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and cornerback Ambry Thomas are listed for their divisional playoff game against the Cowboys. Both Garoppolo and Thomas have been ruled out after not practicing all week.
There was some concern during the week after defensive end Samson Ebukam, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and wide receiver Jauan Jennings were all limited the first two days of practice. All three were full participants Friday though and not on the injury report.
One interesting thing to watch will be Garoppolo’s status into next week. There was some discussion that he’d be able to return for the NFC championship. His non-participation throughout the week isn’t a great sign for his availability next week if the 49ers move on, though it certainly doesn’t rule him out.
Thomas’ absence likely means veteran CB Janoris Jenkins will come up from the practice squad to take his place.
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Brock Purdy developed a bad habit against the Seahawks and got away with it. He has to fix it quick against Dallas and the best defense he’s faced all year.
49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy got a win in his first playoff start, and bounced back from a rough first half to finish the game with three touchdown passes and 332 yards through the air. There were a handful of plays in the wild card game against Seattle that won’t likely work against a Cowboys pass rush that Purdy calls one of the 49ers’ biggest challenges of the year. How he adjusts on some of those plays will be crucial for San Francisco’s offense Sunday.
One of Purdy’s biggest strengths in his brief stint as the 49ers’ starting quarterback has been his ability to evade pass rushers, move around in the pocket, and remove some of the negative plays that put San Francisco behind the sticks.
There were multiple instances against the Seahawks where Purdy, when pressured from his blind side, spun out to his left to roll toward that sideline. When he did that he had to flip his feet to get in a throwing position so he could get rid of the ball instead of taking a sack. That’s unlikley to work against a Dallas defense that prides itself on its pass rush.
“Yeah, I feel like they’re just talented across the board, up front,” Purdy told reporters Thursday. “I think they’re well coached, you can tell with their scheme and everything that they do, there’s definitely a plan that they have and they go at it and all five of their guys, four of their guys, whoever’s on the field, they pay attention to detail in the pass rush, which I feel like is a good challenge for us. I feel like we’ve played a handful of teams that, do a good job and are well coached up front, but these guys are probably one of the best at it and it will be one of the best challenges that we’ve seen.”
Purdy’s spin left worked against Seattle’s pass rush, which doesn’t have nearly the talent Dallas’ has. He was able to twist and run away from a 35-year-old veteran like Bruce Irvin. That’s unlikely to be the case against a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Micah Parsons, or Dorance Armstrong, or DeMarcus Lawrence – all of whom had 6.0 or more sacks this season.
While the 49ers’ offensive line can help some, Purdy has to make sure he’s stepping up through the pocket when possible or moving out to his right. Head coach Kyle Shanahan can help with some screens or short throws to get the ball out of Purdy’s hands.
Ultimately it’ll be up to the QB though. He has to move effectively in the pocket and get rid of the ball early when players come open, even if it means foregoing a deeper throw that may open up.
If Purdy can learn from his wild card experience and eliminate some of those plays where he bails out of the pocket to his left, he should put up another strong performance against the best defense he’s faced this year.
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Date, time, TV channel and quick notes on a 49ers-Cowboys playoff matchup that means two very different things for both teams.
The 49ers and Cowboys are rekindling their postseason rivalry that began with ‘the Catch’ in January of 1983, and peaked in the early 1990s when San Francisco and Dallas dominated the NFC. Now a new chapter is being written in the historic rivalry.
For the second consecutive year the 49ers and Cowboys are facing off in the playoffs. This time the stakes will be a little higher with an NFC championship appearance on the line.
Both teams are vying for NFC title game trips for very different reasons.
The 49ers are looking to complete some unfinished business. They fell to the Rams in last year’s NFC championship game. In 2019 they lost in the Super Bowl. They’ve gotten close and now they’re looking to finally finish the job.
For the Cowboys it’s just about reaching that stage and climbing to heights that became the standard in the early 1990s. They last reached the NFC championship game in the 1995 season. Since then it’s been a carousel of disappointment both in the regular season and the playoffs.
Here are some quick notes on the ninth 49ers-Cowboys playoff matchup heading into divisional playoff week:
Date: Sunday, January 22
Time: 3:30 p.m. PT
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
TV channel: Fox
Referee: Bill Vinovich
Point spread: 49ers (-4)
49ers vs. Cowboys (regular season): 15-14-1
49ers vs. Cowboys (playoffs): 3-5
Last meeting: 23-17, 49ers in 2021 wild card playoffs
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The 49ers are favored by less than a TD vs. the Cowboys at home on Sunday.
The 49ers will face the Cowboys in the postseason for the second consecutive season, but this time they’ll open as favorites at home instead of entering the game as underdogs like they did in last year’s wild card round.
BetMGM has the 49ers as four-point favorites after Dallas thumped the Buccaneers 31-14 in Tampa Bay to close wild card weekend.
Last year the Cowboys hosted the 49ers in the wild card round and entered the game as three-point favorites in a game San Francisco won 23-17.
This time the 49ers are rolling. They’ve won 11 in a row, including a 41-23 drubbing of the Seahawks in the first game of the wild card round.
Dallas, on the other hand, stumbled with an abysmal 26-6 loss to the Commanders to end the season. A couple weeks before that they blew a 17-point lead in an overtime loss to the Jaguars.
Don’t expect this line to fluctuate much. Teams are typically given three points for being at home, which means the 49ers are giving an additional point or so for being better than the Cowboys. Books are aiming to get action on both sides of a line, and in a matchup like 49ers-Cowboys where both teams won double-digit games, the line isn’t liable to see a ton of motion either way.
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The San Francisco 49ers will stick with Nick Mullens as their starter vs. the Dallas Cowboys.
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Nick Mullens’ Week 14 performance vs. Washington wasn’t bad enough to earn him a demotion. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters via video conference that Mullens would get the start in Week 15 vs. Dallas.
While Shanahan committed to starting the former undrafted free agent, he left open the possibility of an appearance by CJ Beathard.
“Yeah, I plan on Nick starting,” Shanahan said. “We’ll always see what goes on in practice, but Nick’s the guy we’ll start out with and we’ll see how it goes.”
Mullens is now 5-10 in 15 career starts, but his two-turnover showing against Washington led to a pair of defensive scores that proved decisive in the Football Team’s 23-15 victory. Shanahan considered replacing Mullens with Beathard mid-game, but concluded Beathard wasn’t warmed up and stuck with his starter.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mullens with a short leash Sunday. The 49ers’ playoff hopes are all but dashed, but there’s a sliver of hope for them barring a loss to Dallas. If Mullens commits another turnover, Shanahan may pull the plug.
The quarterback situation for San Francisco going into Week 15 isn’t pretty, and it’s something of a long-term issue they could address as soon as this offseason.
