49ers game grades from hard-nosed Wild Card victory over Cowboys

The 49ers beat the Cowboys 23-17 to advance to the divisional round. Niner Noise has game grades from the next chapter of this iconic rivalry.

Whenever the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys meet in the playoffs, battles are fought, dreams are crushed, and legends are made.

And in the latest modern addition to one of the best rivalries in the history of the NFL, the Niners came into hostile territory and came away with the victory, a nail-biting 23-17 win over Dallas at AT&T Stadium in the Wild Card round.

In the playoffs, that’s all that matters. Doesn’t matter if a win is by 100 or one, you just need to make it to the next game. But this game against the Cowboys pitted two teams that were uniquely built to take advantage of the other’s weaknesses. It would be a good test for the 49ers as they began their treacherous journey to win three straight games on the road and make the Super Bowl.

The game began in the most picture-perfect drive San Francisco could have had. Wide receiver offensive weapon Deebo Samuel and running back Elijah Mitchell ran the ball down Dallas’ throat, taking advantage of the pursuit with simple cutbacks. Play-action passing got down the field and attacked the defense.

Mitchell walked it in for a touchdown:

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The rest of the first half became a story of field goals; the 49ers had the chance to blow the game wide open but inopportune plays kept the Cowboys in the game. The Niners defense gave up a touchdown drive, but they kept a potent Cowboys offense grounded.

The second half was a little different.

Without EDGE Nick Bosa, who exited with a concussion, San Francisco was in danger, but a fantastic sack by defensive tackle D.J. Jones was followed by an interception and a phenomenal rushing touchdown by Samuel.

The 49ers were up 23-7 heading into the fourth quarter when pandemonium ensued.

The fourth quarter started off poorly, with a Dallas drive ending in a field goal. Then quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw a terrible interception, the Cowboys rushed in for a touchdown, and what was a comfortable lead became a little less comfortable.

The next Niners drive was unsuccessful, but the Cowboys were stopped on fourth down. After that, San Francisco appeared to convert a game-ending first down, but then it didn’t on further review. So the 49ers converted on a Garoppolo sneak, but then they didn’t because of a false start. So the Niners had to punt, and the Cowboys went down the field in quick succession before a failed spike to end the game.

End result: Niners win. Let’s hand out grades from the performance.

49ers offensive grades vs. Cowboys

It was a tale of two halves for San Francisco’s offense, as it rolled in the first and sputtered in the second. In the end, though, 23 points were just enough to walk away with a victory.

Quarterback: D+

A tale of two halves best describes Jimmy Garoppolo’s play, which should average out to a C-grade but gets lowered because of the stakes of the second half.

First half, Garoppolo was not only efficient; he was exceptional. It wasn’t just that Garoppolo was able to hit his receivers and move the chains, he made some throws that just aren’t typical of Jimmy G. Although the offense was unable to get more than one touchdown in the first half, Garoppolo’s play was exactly what the 49ers needed to win this game.

The second half, though, was a completely different story.

Beyond the funk the offense found itself in, Garoppolo missed some wide-open throws and was completely off his rhythm. Missing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on a fantastic route was inexcusable, his interception to Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown was unacceptable, and snapping the ball before left tackle Trent Williams could get set was illogical.

The Niners offense struggled mightily in the second half, and Garoppolo was a huge part of that.

But a win is a win, and he’ll have a chance to redeem his second-half play next week.

Running Backs: B-

San Francisco’s run game was exceptional when it attacked the interior of the Cowboys defense and less so when it attacked the edges.

Although it doesn’t fall necessarily on Elijah Mitchell that his game was inefficient, it does ding his grade.

But Mitchell did his job and showcased his ability to gain the other type of YAC, the one after first contact.

Wide Receivers: A

The strength of the Cowboys defense was its pass defense. With their pass rush and their secondary, the 49ers’ passing attack would have been the one that needed work.

Well, the Niners receivers did their job.

Every receiver who could make a play made one. Brandon Aiyuk was exceptional the entire game, minus a holding call but gaining absurd levels of separation. Jauan Jennings continued to feast on third downs, and even Travis Benjamin was able to get involved.

But the absolute star of this game, and someone who honestly deserves his own position, was Deebo Samuel. He was run like a full-fledged running back and still impacted the pass game as a wide receiver.

He had 110 all-purpose yards. In a team full of stars, he shined the brightest when it mattered most.

Tight Ends: B

There wasn’t much run for the 49ers tight ends, but in the run game, they did a good job blocking. George Kittle‘s involvement in the offense needs to increase against the Green Bay Packers, whom the Niners will play in the divisional round.

He offers San Francisco a unique weapon that stresses other defenses.

Offensive Line: A-

The 49ers offense line allowed no sacks against the Cowboys, and the 49ers ran for 4.4 yards per carry.

Minus a couple holdings and penalties, that’s without question the best outcome the Niners could have had in the trenches.

49ers defensive grades vs. Cowboys

San Francisco entered this game with a suspect secondary but a full bill of health against a vaunted offensive attack.

The team left it with some injury scares but a quality game on its hands.

Defensive Line: A+

The 49ers defensive line got home when Nick Bosa was in the game, with him even earning a sack on a fantastic stunt. But after he was ruled out for the game with a concussion, the 49ers were at risk of losing the defensive trenches.

That did not happen.

The 49ers finished with five sacks and a whopping 22 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats:

Reserve defensive end Charles Omenihu had his best game as a 49er, finishing with two sacks in a fantastic display. This group also held a strong Dallas rushing attack to only 77 yards on the ground.

When the Niners needed their defensive line to show up, it showed up.

Linebackers: B+

The 49ers linebackers had a solid if not spectacular game, with only one real glaring issue being the missed tackle Fred Warner had against Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot near the first half.

Read More: 5 reasons why 49ers defeated Cowboys in Wild Card round

However, this unit filled the run gaps exceptionally well and played the pass well.

Warner’s ankle injury late in the game looked extremely scary, and luckily it doesn’t seem too serious.

Secondary: B+

The Niners secondary had an unfortunate final 30 seconds, which fell equally on coaching as it did on the players themselves. But for the rest of the game, the much-maligned group put on a fantastic performance against a Cowboys offense designed to attack it.

The safeties cleaned up plays, and minus a couple miscues, coverage was spectacular.

Special attention should go to cornerback Ambry Thomas, whose career ascent in a matter of weeks has been spectacular. In the very few times he was targeted, his coverage was on point. And he was a big reason why Dallas’ No. 1 wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, was limited to just one catch for 21 yards.

49ers special teams and coaching grades

49ers Special Teams: D-

Kicker Robbie Gould hit three field goals, and two of them were from beyond 50 yards. That was elite performance from a kicker who hasn’t always played at that level this season.

Beyond Gould, though, special teams continued to be a nightmare for San Francisco. The third phase of the game is field positioning, and somehow, the 49ers find a way to put themselves behind the eight-ball.

Whether it was poor kickoffs that resulted in good field position for the Cowboys, an illogical need to fair catch the football while inside their own 10-yard line, poor punts, including the final one that hit the end zone for a touchback, and a roughing-the-kicker penalty stemming from a terrible punt block call, the Niners may end up losing in these playoffs because their special teams put them in a hole too big to handle.

And the biggest mistake of all? The worst level of football IQ displayed by now-special teams gunner Josh Norman to be the only player not paying attention for a fake punt.

Coaching: B-

We’ll keep special teams coaching out of this.

Both head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans had fantastic game plans on their respective sides of the ball. They attacked the weaknesses of each team and managed to control the game.

However, the reason this grade isn’t an A-mark is game management. Shanahan got conservative on offense, and Ryans got conservative at the very final drive of the game.

Neither decision harmed San Francisco, but neither decision was accurate.

Now the 49ers will advance on their quest for the Lombardi against another historic rival, the Packers.