The San Francisco 49ers looked like they were going to win going away against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Sunday’s NFL Wild Card Game.
San Francisco held a 23-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter and were dominating on both sides of the ball.
That’s when the bad Jimmy Garoppolo showed up, throwing an ugly interception with the 49ers up 23-10. Like clockwork, Dak Prescott drove Dallas down the field to pull the game within six points.
Even then, the 49ers seemingly won the game on a third-down run by Deebo Samuel that was ruled a first down on the field. Following review, the officials called Samuel roughly an inch short.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan lined up to go for it before a false start penalty was called on left tackle Trent Williams. He ultimately opted to punt with the Cowboys taking over at their own 20 with 32 seconds remaining.
After Prescott led the Cowboys to 28 yards on three plays, the quarterback ran up the middle all the way down to the 49ers’ 24-yard line with 14 seconds remaining. It did not give Dallas time to run a final play, ending the game in the process with the San Francisco 49ers coming out on top in thrilling fashion, 23-17.
This is just the latest epic game in a rivalry that dominated NFL’s landscape in the 1980s and for three consecutive seasons in the 1990s. It also has San Francisco set to head to Lambeau Field to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
As for the Cowboys, their season comes to an end in ugly fashion. That included a franchise playoff record 14 penalties. Meanwhile, rumors will continue to swirl as it relates to head coach Mike McCarthy’s future.