The 49ers had to rely on some shoddy Cowboys play and a little luck, but there are still key reasons why the Niners emerged victorious in the Wild Card game.
Most San Francisco 49ers fans would probably be perfectly happy if the Niners wind up having an “easy” win at some point during the postseason.
And after San Francisco managed to survive some sloppy play of its own and a desperate surge by the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, those same fans probably deserve it.
The 49ers nevertheless manage to hang on, though, winning a thrilling yet nerve-wracking 23-17 victory that had its eye-raising moments, scary incidents and odd occurrences throughout.
Those all played a major factor, too, leading us to break down specifically why the Niners managed to win this round of the NFL playoffs in order to advance into the divisional round of the postseason.
No. 5: 49ers kept Jimmy Garoppolo clean all game
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t exactly a prime reason why San Francisco pulled off the victory, and going 16-of-25 for 172 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, one might argue Garoppolo could have been a reason why the 49ers lost, had they done so.
But a key element behind the Niners’ victory was the fact the offensive line and extra blockers did an extra job keeping Garoppolo upright, holding off a vaunted Dallas pass rush and keeping this unit from registering a single sack over the course of the game.
Garoppolo was only hit four times, too.
The Cowboys finished the regular season with a whopping 68 sacks, third most in the league. So for San Francisco to hold Dallas’ defensive standouts like linebacker Micah Parsons and EDGE Randy Gregory from getting to Garoppolo and influencing that part of the game is commendable.
The margin of victory for the 49ers was so thin, perhaps only one sack could have been a back-breaking difference-maker.
No. 4: 49ers held Cowboys to just 77 rush yards
True, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott might not be the powerhouse runner he was earlier in his career, but he’s still a 1,000-yard force. And, just like the Niners’ own offense, Dallas can do a lot of damage when it establishes its run game behind Elliott and fellow running back Tony Pollard.
When the ground game is working, the Cowboys offense becomes even more potent and managed to finish the regular season ranked No. 1 overall.
A key element for San Francisco, though, was to hold Dallas to less than 100 yards rushing, a trend the 49ers have done well ever since Week 10, having allowed an opponent to reach that mark just once since that point.
In total, the Cowboys rushed for just 77 yards, while Elliott and Pollard were held to averages of 2.6 and 3.5 yards on the ground, respectively.
While it got scary at times, sure, a one-dimensional approach by Dallas forced quarterback Dak Prescott to rely heavily on the passing game.
And the Niners had an answer for that, too. At least partially.
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.
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.
No. 1: Deebo Samuel is Deebo Samuel
A team’s best player has to rise to the occasion during the playoffs, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel has been the 49ers’ best player this season.
The Wild Card game was no different.
Samuel was back to his usual dual-threat ways, offering up offense both on the ground and through the air, including this 26-yard rushing touchdown that turned out to be the game-winner:
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1482860341268680704
Samuel finished the game with 110 all-purpose yards, 38 through the air and another 72 yards on the ground, proving himself as the game’s MVP and a player who makes the entire Niners offense that much more potent.
Read More: Predicting who winds up being 49ers MVP vs. Cowboys in Wild Card game
If San Francisco didn’t get that kind of output from Samuel, it’s highly likely the final outcome would have been very different.
Good thing Samuel managed to rise to the occasion when the 49ers needed him most.