5 reasons 49ers won Wild Card matchup vs. Cowboys

No. 2: 49ers benefited by too many Cowboys mistakes

Sometimes, it helps being a bit lucky in the playoffs, too. Or, at the very least, capitalizing on some of the other team’s mistakes.

Cowboys fans are going to talk for a while about how they should have beaten the 49ers, if it weren’t for too many self-inflicted wounds, including Dak Prescott’s questionable quarterback draw on the final play of the game that ultimately led to Dallas running out of time instead of trying what could have been a game-winning throw.

Yet there were far more Cowboys mistakes the Niners enjoyed watching.

Neither team played a clean game, sure, and San Francisco was flagged nine times for 58 yards. And that false start on the 49ers’ final offensive possession, facing a 4th-and-inches on a would-be quarterback sneak by Jimmy Garoppolo could have potentially been devastating if the final outcome was different.

But Dallas was far worse, being flagged a whopping 14 times for 89 yards, infractions which led to many a Niners drive being extended.

San Francisco can be thankful for that.