National Football League

Cowboys vs. 49ers highlights: San Francisco outlasts Dallas in divisional round

Updated Jan. 22, 2023 10:13 p.m. ET

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The NFL divisional round concluded Sunday with the San Francisco 49ers outdueling the Dallas Cowboys, winning 19-12 to advance to the NFC title game.

The 49ers will move on to face the Philadelphia Eagles next weekend for a spot in Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.

Earlier, the third-seed Cincinnati Bengals took down the second-seed Buffalo Bills by double digits to advance to the AFC title game, where they will face the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. ET).

Here are the top plays!

San Francisco 49ers 19, Dallas Cowboys 12

Kittle on the loose!

George Kittle helped the 49ers get into Cowboys territory on their second possession, hauling in a 30-yard grab to get San Francisco going. 

Dak wants this one back

Dak Prescott made the game's first big mistake a little more than halfway through the first quarter. 

On third-and-9, he seemed to not be on the right page with Michael Gallup, as his pass went straight to Deommodore Lenior, giving the 49ers the ball at the Cowboys' 21-yard line. 

Third-and-Purdy

Purdy took a sack on the 49ers' first play following the interception, but he made up for it two plays later. 

The rookie found Brandon Aiyuk right at the sticks to get the first down on third-and-15. San Francisco had to settle for three, however, as it wasn't able to create the same magic again on the ensuing three plays, giving the 49ers a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Getting the first down the hard way

The Cowboys only needed a yard to get the first down on a third-down play at the 49ers' 29-yard line. But Prescott had trouble with the snap as they had some pre-snap motion. Luckily for them, Ezekiel Elliott powered his way through the deficit to get the first down.

Dak-to-Dalton for a Dallas TD

After CeeDee Lamb picked up the first down on a fourth-and-1 run, Prescott got the Cowboys the 49ers' 4-yard line on an 11-yard run. On the next play, he found Dalton Schultz on a play-action pass for a touchdown. 

Brett Maher's extra-point attempt was blocked, making him just 1-for-6 on his extra-point attempts since Monday's game. Even though the kick was blocked, FOX Sports color analyst Greg Olsen believes the kick would've gone wide left if it weren't blocked.

No Maher on fourth down, and the decision paid off. 

Despite being at the 49ers' 35-yard line, the Cowboys opted to go for it on fourth-and-4 with Maher struggling to make an extra point. 

Mike McCarthy's decision worked. Prescott scrambled for a nine-yard gain as the pocket collapsed, picking up the first down and keeping the Cowboys' drive going before the half.

Pollard in pain

Tony Pollard had to be helped off the field and went into the blue tent after his left ankle was put in an awkward position when he made a short grab.

Pollard was eventually carted to the locker room after the initial evaluation. 

Pollard was ruled out when the game came back from halftime with a high ankle sprain, per FOX Sports' Tom Rinaldi. 

49ers attack Dak for the pick

The Cowboys gave the ball up after getting into the red zone. Prescott's pass to Lamb was deflected by Jimmie Ward and into the arms of linebacker Fred Warner for the interception, halting Dallas' momentum before halftime. 

49ers take the lead going into half

San Francisco was able to convert on the interception. Purdy helped the 49ers pick up 40 yards to get into field goal range before the half, but not without some trouble. He nearly made a rookie mistake when he danced around in the pocket on a play with seven seconds left before throwing the ball away. 

Luckily for Purdy, the ball landed incomplete with a second left. That allowed Robbie Gould to make the 50-yard field goal, his third make of the day, giving the 49ers a 9-6 lead going into the break. 

Parsons power

Micah Parsons threw down 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey on a pass rush late in the first half. The play drew comparisons to Hall of Famer Reggie White. 

Joseph jars it loose

After the Cowboys' opening drive of the second half stalled around midfield, it looked like the 49ers were going to have a chance to add to their lead. But Kelvin Joseph punched the ball free on Ray-Ray McCloud's return, giving Dallas the ball at the 21-yard line. 

Maher makes the field goal to tie the game

Cowboys fans were able to exhale. A play after Prescott nearly threw a tipped pick, Maher made the 25-yard field goal. Crisis averted.

Now watch me Ray-Ray

McCloud bounced back after his fumble on the punt return. He took the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to get into Cowboys territory.

San Francisco wasn't able to capitalize, though, as it went three-and-out, giving Dallas the ball back. 

Put the CeeDee in and get a big gain

Right after it was reported that Lamb's fingers got taped up, he made the biggest play of the game up to that point when the Cowboys got the ball back. Lamb hauled in a 46-yard grab while being interfered with to get Dallas into San Francisco territory.

How did Kittle come up with this?

Purdy's pass over the middle looked like it was going to be too far for Kittle to grab. But the star tight end bobbled the ball to himself at least three times, including once to his facemask, to help haul in the grab for a 30-yard gain as he was falling down.

Come on in, Christian

Christian McCaffrey broke the tie on the first play of the fourth quarter, rushing in for an easy score to give the 49ers a 16-9 lead.

And after making the play of the drive, Kittle helped celebrate.

Turbo Turpin

KaVontae Turpin took the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to help the Cowboys start their drive around midfield.

Maher on the money

The struggling Cowboys kicker started to get back on track. After making a chip shot field goal to tie the game earlier, Maher made a 43-yarder to cut the 49ers' lead to 16-12 with 11 minutes left. 

Dallas holds San Francisco to a field goal

The 49ers were able to kill some clock after the Cowboys cut into their lead. They went on a 13-play drive that lasted almost eight minutes exactly (7:59) by converting on two third-down plays before having to settle for a 28-yard field goal.

The drive gave the Cowboys the ball back with 3:04 remaining, down 19-12. 

Dak dropped

After two straight incompletions, Prescott was sacked when he tried to step up in the pocket by Samson Ebukam. Dallas opted to punt the ball with just over two minutes left, hoping it can force San Francisco to punt.

Mitchell on the move

Elijah Mitchell broke open for a 13-yard run, appearing to seal the game for the 49ers. However, he stepped out of bounds to give the Cowboys a bit more life.

What was that?

Needing a miracle with six seconds left from its own 24-yard line, Dallas ran an odd formation to try to muster up some magic. Elliott lined up at center while the rest of the offensive line went out wide right. Prescott threw a quick pass over the middle to Turpin, but the Niners immediately tackled him to end the game, 19-12.

Read more:

• NFL divisional round odds: Lines for every matchup
• 2023 NFL playoff schedule, bracket: Updated dates, times
• Bengals vs. Bills highlights: Burrow, Cincinnati headed to AFC title game
• Jalen Hurts looks like old self in Eagles' win: ‘Like having Michael Jordan out there’
• Giants vs. Eagles highlights: Hurts, Philly headed to NFC championship
• Patrick Mahomes suffered high ankle sprain during Chiefs' win over Jaguars
• Chiefs, hobbling Patrick Mahomes headed to fifth straight AFC title game
• Chiefs vs. Jaguars highlights: Mahomes, K.C. headed to AFC championship
• Despite divisional-round loss to Chiefs, 2022 Jaguars were a huge success
• 2023 NFL coaching tracker: News, rumors, interviews

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NFL - Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers - 01/22/2023