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

The 49ers faced their toughest test during their win streak and came away from a 19-12 victory over the Cowboys. Niner Noise grades the hard-fought victory.

The San Francisco 49ers exorcised their playoff demons of the 2010s in beating the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round, and they were able to exorcise playoff demons from the 1990s in beating the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

The game started slowly with neither offense able to create any traction, until the Niners defense, courtesy of cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, intercepted Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

San Francisco’s offense was unable to punch it in the end zone, however, finishing up with three points.

Dallas marched down the field and scored a touchdown (with a blocked point-after attempt at the end). And after the 49ers managed to scrounge another field goal, the Cowboys were driving down the field again until linebacker Fred Warner picked off Prescott, allowing San Francisco to sneak in another field goal.

The second half featured a fumble by Niners wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud on a punt return that allowed Dallas another field goal, but after that, the 49ers offense began to drive a little more, eventually getting a touchdown.

After that, it was a slugfest, with the 49ers defense doing just enough to hold on for a 19-12 victory.

The only thing that truly matters in the playoffs is the result of the game, but there’s still a lot to take away from how the players played.

Let’s jump into the games.

49ers Offensive Grades vs. Cowboys

Quarterback

Brock Purdy was rattled, inaccurate, inefficient, reckless at times with the football, and generally uncomfortable with a fast and aggressive Dallas defense.

In the end, it didn’t really matter all too much.

This isn’t to say that Purdy played incredibly poorly. Dallas got after him, and to finish 19-of-29 for 214 yards on throws that attacked the intermediate part of the field was a good performance in the second half for the rookie signal-caller.

But the 49ers offense was unable to get anything going, and part of that had to do with Purdy being flushed by pressure and running into the edges of the Cowboys defense. Against a Philadelphia Eagles defense perhaps more equipped to rush the passer with speed, some things will have to change.

But the only thing that matters is a win right now, and Purdy played well enough for that.

Grade: C

Running Backs

The 49ers rushing attack was woefully inefficient, but how much of that was due to the running backs themselves remains to be seen. As it stands, the running backs, particularly Christian McCaffrey, were adept at getting the yards they needed.

This grade, though, will be severely dampened by Elijah Mitchell’s decision to go out of bounds with 1:40 left to go in the game.

It was a loss of judgment from a player who will know better now, but it could have cost San Francisco the game.

Grade: D+

Wide Receivers

The 49ers passing attack was not truly able to get going, and so there’s very little to say about how the receivers played. They made do with their opportunities, but the unit as a whole finished with 97 yards on eight receptions.

Not much more to say.

Grade: B

Tight Ends

George Kittle was the way the 49ers gained explosive plays in the game. He had two huge receptions, including this gem, as he finished with 95 yards on five receptions.

A big-time game from one of the Niners’ big-time players.

Grade: A-

Offensive Line

The 49ers offensive line was getting beaten soundly in the first half. Perhaps the worst half the unit has had in the 12-game winning streak. But they were eventually able to get some bearing, especially in the second half in the run game.

San Francisco’s inefficiency on the ground at 3.5 yards per carry is an issue that’ll have to be fixed up front next week, though.

Grade: D

49ers Defensive Grades vs. Cowboys

Defensive Line

The 49ers defensive line was solid in controlling the trenches, but for the second week in a row, beyond a singular big play (Charles Omenihu’s forced fumble, Samson Ebukam and the rest of the D-line combining for a huge sack in the Cowboys’ second-to-last drive), the defensive pressure was unable to truly get home.

There was more pressure than last week, but the Niners D-line will be going up against perhaps the best offensive line in the NFL in Philadelphia, and they will have to be able to get home.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Fred Warner is the best linebacker in the NFL, perhaps the best the NFL has seen in recent history. His ability to cover receivers down the middle of the field is one of the most valuable skills in the league. He erases the middle of the field with ease, taking away most offenses’ staples.

He was at his most elite level against the Cowboys, finishing with nine tackles, an interception, and some of the more outrageous coverages from a middle linebacker.

Grade: A

Secondary

The 49ers secondary did its job. They were able to take the ball away (an interception from Deommodore Lenoir and great coverage by Jimmie Ward that allowed Warner to intercept the ball) and keep the Dallas receivers in front of them.

That said, there were a few too many easy yards given to the receivers due to soft coverage, Talanoa Hufanga mixed equal parts explosive blitzes with missed tackles, and another deep shot completion against this secondary.

But in the playoffs, they played well enough for a win.

Grade: C+

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.

Want your voice heard? Join the Niner Noise team!

Write for us!

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