Grades from 49ers slugfest win vs. Cowboys in NFL playoffs

49ers Special Teams and Coaching Grades vs. Cowboys

Special Teams

This game was perhaps a juxtaposition of how special teams can change a team’s trajectory.

On one hand, you had Cowboys kicker Brett Maher working through his issues in real time, compared to the Niners’ Robbie Gould and his four field goals and his continued perfection in the playoffs.

Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled a punt return; the Cowboys had no such issues. The 49ers’ kickoff coverage was non-existent, and the Cowboys allowed a big return.

Plus and minuses seemingly canceled out in real time, but the Niners need to have a better performance in the third phase of the game as the games get harder.

Grade: C

Coaching

The 49ers offense was bottled up, the 49ers defense was bottling Dallas up. The game plan on offense was just enough; the game plan on defense kept the Cowboys uncomfortable.

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Individual games go in various ways, and it did not seem as though the game plans were particularly egregious either way.

However, Kyle Shanahan’s clock management was quite bad to end the first half, and he nearly cost himself three points by being too scared that the Cowboys, clearly not trusting their kicker, would get the ball back with time.

It’s these small decisions that be costly later down the road.

Grade: C