The san francisco 49ers won a defensive duel against the dallas cowboys by the score of 19-12 and to reach the final of the National.
The Niners will face the Philadelphia Eaglesnext Sunday at 3 p.m., for a Super Bowl berth.
Last drafted in April 2022, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy has improved to 7-0 as a starter since replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13.
Against the Cowboys, he completed 18 of 28 passes for 215 yards.
“He’s playing at a high level,” receiver George Kittle said. He is confident in the caucus. He just does a great job. »
With two of the best defenses in the NFL, most football fans weren’t expecting an offensive feast in this duel. Still 0-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was the victim of an interception, courtesy of Deommodore Lenoir, while his team was in his own territory. The 49ers then had to settle for a placement to register the first three points of the game.
After a rather quiet first quarter, the Dallas offense began the second period with conviction. Prescott led the team to the goal gate before passing the ball to Dalton Schultz who finished it off with a touchdown.
After the six points scored, all eyes were on the Cowboys kicker Brett Maher, who missed four conversion kicks in the last game against the Bucs, something never done by a kicker in a playoff game in NFL history. Unfortunately for him, his troubles continued when his kick was blocked in defense by Samson Ebukam.
The Niners then responded with a 47-yard field goal from Robbie Gould to bring the mark to 6 to 6.
While in a good position to add points to the board before the end of the first half, the Cowboys suffered another turnaround when Fred Warner intercepted Prescott’s pass to return the ball to his team.
The San Francisco offense then thanked Warner by advancing far enough into opposing territory to give Gould the chance to go there with a successful third kick in the game, this time from a distance of 50 yards.
Coming back from half-time, the first points finally came from Maher’s right foot. The Cowboys kicker ended his losing streak with a 25-yard field goal to tie the game at 9-9.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense provided the answer with their best offensive sequence of the game. The rookie quarterback sent the ball to his receiver George Kittle who combined athleticism and concentration to complete the catch of the game, good for a gain of 21 yards. Several plays later, at the goal gate, the running back Christian McCaffrey scored an easy rushing touchdown to restore San Francisco’s lead.
Back with the ball, Dallas put themselves in a position to offer a second test to their kicker. Maher this time made a field goal from 43 yards to close the gap to four points.
Maher faced an in-form Robbie Gould in this clash. The Niners kicker made his fourth field goal of the game with a 28-yard strike to restore his team’s seven-point lead.
The Cowboys were lucky to get back into the game with one last possession with less than a minute to go, but were unable to score the tying touchdown.