5 reasons 49ers won Wild Card matchup vs. Cowboys
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers took Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb out of the game
The Cowboys entered the game arguably with the scariest wide receiver corps San Francisco could potentially face in the NFL playoffs, namely contributors like Amari Cooper, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and CeeDee Lamb.
Cooper did damage to the tune of 64 yards on six catches and a touchdown, and there were plenty of moments when cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and K’Waun Williams had trouble with him.
Yet one player who probably won’t receive a lot of credit is rookie corner Ambry Thomas, who clinched the 49ers’ Week 18 playoff-sealing victory over the Los Angeles Rams with a last-second interception in overtime.
Thomas came near to picking off Dak Prescott in the Wild Card game, but what was more stellar was the work he and the rest of the Niners’ defensive backfield did against Lamb, who finished the regular season with a team-best 1,102 yards and six touchdowns.
Lamb’s totals against San Francisco? Just one catch for 21 yards on five targets.
Great work containing Lamb by Thomas, whose task against the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round won’t get any easier.