Clarence Hill: 5 Things from Dallas Cowboys’ 19-12 divisional playoff loss vs. 49ers
The gulf between the Dallas Cowboys last trip to the NFC Conference title game as well as their last trip to the Super Bowl continues to be impossible to cross.
It’s now 28 years since the Cowboys’ last Super Bowl title in 1995 as the attempt to end it at 27 years died a with a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
It was the second time time in as many years that the 49ers have ended the Cowboys season in the postseason.
And for the second straight season, franchise quarterback Dak Prescott will be under the microscope.
Prescott, who led the NFL with 15 interceptions in 2022, tossed to unconscionable interceptions in the first half, leading to six points in what proved to be a seven-point loss one year after the clock ran out on him during a final comeback attempt against the 49ers.
Sunday’s game and final attempt at a hail mary ended unceremoniously with running back Zeke Elliott snapping the ball to Prescott who passed the ball to receiver KaVonte Turpin. He was tackled immediately.
Prescott has taken the Cowboys to playoffs four times in his sevens as quarterback. He has two wins and has never led the Cowboys past the divisional round.
“I’m disappointed ine the way that I played,” Prescott said. “Those guys in that locker room gave it their all on both sides of the ball and put me in a position to go win the game and I wasn’t able to do that. I put it on my shoulders when when you play this position and you play for this organization. You’ve got to accept that and that’s that’s the reality of it.
“For us to only put up the points that we did that that’s unacceptable. And it starts with me and I’ve got to be better.”
The 49ers advance to the NFC title game week where they will meet the Philadelphia Eagles for the right to go to the Super Bowl.
5 Things from Cowboys 19-12 loss:
Mistake-prone Dak Prescott returns
It appears that mistake free Dak Prescott was only a one-week phenomenon.
After having the best game of his career against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Prescott returned to his turnover-prone ways against the 49ers with two first-half interceptions that the 49ers turned into field goals and 9-6 lead.
Prescott’s first pick was a pass intended for Michael Gallup, who didn’t come didn’t come back for the the ball on 3rd-and-9 at the 49ers’ 21-yard line. Deommodore Lenoir jumped the route, setting up 26-yard field. goal.
Prescott responded on the ensuing series, leading the Cowboys 74 yards on 14 plays, capped by a 4-yard pass to Dalton Schultz.
Later in the half, then on 2nd-and-2 at the 18, Prescott forced a pass to CeeDee Lamb. It was tipped up by Jimmie Ward and picked off by Fred Warner.
“The first one I guess I hitched one too many times it,” Prescott said. “Understandably hitching three times, Gallup thought I was going to scramble. And the guy just came back to the ball game. I’ve got to throw that one away or, or use my feet get out of the pocket.
“And then on the second one, the nickel squeezed. I tried to throw it low to CeeDee. He was able to make a play on it, tipped it up on the air. Just two throws that I can’t have. You can’t have in the playoffs. You can’t have when you try to beat a team like that, can’t happen on the road. And you have no excuses for that. Those two are 100% on me.”
Prescott tied for the NFL lead with 15 interceptions in just 12 games. He had interceptions in seven straight games to end the season.
There would be no turnovers or no comeback magic from Prescott in the second half.
Prescott completed 23 of 37 passes for 206 yards. He also rushed four times for 22 yards.
“It is very frustrating,” Prescott said of his interceptions. “Something I got to get into the offseason and take a look at all of them. They all have their own story but tonight was unacceptable. I can’t put the ball in jeopardy like that, whether they’re tipped up and tight throws or whether I’m late on a stop route. Just can’t happen. The number that is ridiculous. And I can promise that the number will never be this again. I can promise that.”
Kicker woes continue early but Maher responds
The question had to be asked.
How do Cowboys roll out there with Brett Maher at kicker with so much on the line after missing four extra points in the wildcard game and five of his previous six extra points?
He has the yips.
And everyone knew it, including the 49ers who tried to intimidate him before the game.
And it worked as Maher missed his first extra point following 4-yard touchdown pass by Dak Prescott to Dalton Schultz in the second quarter.
It was officially blocked but it was a low kick that had no chance of making it.
Their mistrust in Maher forced the Cowboys to shun a field goal on 4th-and-4 from the 35 with 2 minutes left in the first half. Prescott made the first down with a 9-yard run.
Two plays later, Prescott threw an interception, killing any chance the Cowboys had of scoring before the half.
The 49ers turned into a 50-yard field goal form Robbie Gould, his third of the first half to make the score 9-6 at halftime.
Gould has never missed a field goal in the playoffs of his career.
It wasn’t all bad for Maher and the Cowboys special teams.
Early in the third quarter, Kelvin Joseph forced a fumble on a punt return and Damone Clark recovered.
After the offense was stalled inside the 10, Maher came through with a 25-yard field to tie the score at 9-9.
And when the Cowboys fell behind 16-9, KaVontae Turpin ripped off a 44-yard kickoff return and then Maher narrowed the score to 16-12 with a confidence-building 43-yard kick.
Tony Pollard injury hampers offense
Running back Tony Pollard suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter.
Pollard, the team’s leading rusher all season, had six carries for 22 yards and two catches for 11 yards in the first half.
Not having his speed and explosiveness out of the backfield limited running game. Ezekiel Elliott, the proverbial starter had four carries for 9 yards in the first half, and finished with 26 yards on 10 carries for the game.
“Tony is clearly one of our most, if not the most productive player,” coach Mike McCarthy said “You want the ball in his hands. That was a really big one for us.”
Elliott simply doesn’t have the same juice as a runner and is limited as a pass receiver.
The Cowboys used receiver CeeDee Lamb as runner and receiver to help supplement the ground, as well as quarterback Dak Prescott.
Lamb had 10 catches for 117 yards and two rushes for six yards.
Cowboys defense held up for as long as it could
The Cowboys defense did it’s job for much of the game against the 49ers and their potent and varied offense.
It limited San Francisco to just two field goals in sudden-change situations following two Dak Prescott interceptions.
The Cowboys sacked Brock Purdy twice in the first half and held the 49ers to just 27 yards on the ground.
The second half proved to be a different story as the 49ers controlled the ball and the clock with the ground game. Christian McCaffrey had a 25-yard run in the third quarter.
One of the biggest plays in the game was a dropped interception by cornerback Trevon Diggs that would have prevented a score. The next play, safety Donovan Wilson gets called for defensive holding on an incomplete pass.
McCaffrey makes it 17-9 on a 2-yard run.
The Cowboys also couldn’t force the big mistake from rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 214 yards and converted a number crucial third downs in the fourth quarter.
Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons said the defense what it set out to do for the most part as they contained receiver Deebo Samuel and McCaffery for much of the game.
Samuel had four receptions for 45 yards and four carries for 11 yards. McCaffrey had 10 carries for 35 yards and six catches for 22 yards
Elijah Mitchell had 14 carries for 51 yards and tight end Greg Kittle had five catches for 95 yards, including a juggling 31-yarder that Lamb should have made a play on.
“I think that we held them to one touchdown,” Parsons said. ”And if you told me, we would come in this game and hold them up to under 20 points. If you take away the turnover points, you hold them to 10 to 15. You would win the game. So I really want to say that I think everybody left it out there but they made bigger plays.”
What’s next for the Cowboys
The Cowboys will clean out their lockers on Monday and prepare for an offseason of uncertainty.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is a candidate for several coaching jobs and may not be back.
The Cowboys have decisions to make on 19 free agents and that doesn’t include running back Ezekiel Elliott.
In 2023, Elliott will earn a base salary of $10,900,000, while carrying a cap hit of $16,720,000 and a dead cap value of $11,860,000.
The Cowboys will most certainly ask him to take a pay cut if he is asked to return at all.
Elliott says he wants to come back in 2023.
But his production of the last month of the season and his salary can’t be ignored.
Elliott had 10 carries for 26 yards and two catches for 7 yards against the 49ers. Even more interesting was Elliott being the center and snapping the ball to Prescott on the final failed scramble drill to end the game.
Elliott had 13 carries fro 27 yards in the wild card win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He had 8 carries for 10 yards against the Washington Commanders in the final game of the regular season.
And he had 19 carries for 37 yards the previous week against the Tennessee Titans.
This how the two-time NFL leading rusher ended a season in which he did not lead the team in rushing for the first time in his career.
The biggest priority of the off season at running back is keeping Tony Pollard, who is an unrestricted free agent.
This story was originally published January 22, 2023 at 8:55 PM.
