Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys host Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Follow along for live updates.
- When: Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. Eastern
- Where: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex.
- How to watch: Game broadcast is on CBS and Nickelodeon; streaming options include Paramount Plus and Amazon Prime Video
7:22 p.m.
The 49ers, incredibly, gave Jimmy Garoppolo the chance to lose the game for them.It’s possible, although not certain, that Garoppolo did exactly that.With a 13-point lead and less than 10 minutes to play, the Niners allowed Garoppolo to throw the ball on a second-and-10 play. Garoppolo, as he is so prone to do, threw an interception. That led to the Cowboys’ touchdown that has made it a 23-17 game with just more than eight minutes remaining.It’s Jimmy Garoppolo. Take the ball out of his hands. Run the ball. Punt if you have to. Make the Cowboys earn any points they get.Now it’s a game again. And the 49ers are shorthanded on defense, without both Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
Mark Maske
,
Sports reporter covering the NFL
Cowboys turn interception into TD; 49ers’ lead cut to six
Dallas turned its fourth-quarter interception into a Dak Prescott touchdown and, with the ensuing extra point, is now down by just six points to San Francisco at 23-17. Prescott ran the ball into the end zone from five yards out on a third-and-goal play.
(49ers 23, Cowboys 17, 8:02 left in fourth quarter)
Dallas gets fourth-quarter interception
The Cowboys got exactly what they sorely needed when they picked off Jimmy Garoppolo in the fourth quarter. The 49ers quarterback was badly off the mark on a throw corralled by Dallas’s Anthony Brown.
(49ers 23, Cowboys 10, 9:48 left in fourth quarter)
7:12 p.m.
What is going on?The Cowboys finally did something right with the successful fake punt. Then they outsmarted themselves and left the punt team on the field so long that, after the offense ran back on the field and the officials held up the snap, the Cowboys were penalized for delay of game.And why, exactly, did the officials need to hold up the snap quite so long? Yes, you need to give the defense a chance to match the substitutions by the offense, by rule. But the 49ers were lined up and ready to play defense.And did that field goal do the Cowboys any good? They were trailing by two scores, at 23-7. They’re still trailing by two scores, at 23-10.After a befuddling sequence, the Cowboys basically are no better off.
Mark Maske
,
Sports reporter covering the NFL
Cowboys kick a field goal, cut deficit to 23-10
With the aid of a successful fake punt, Dallas drove into position to make a 51-yard field goal that cut its deficit against San Francisco to 23-10 early in the fourth quarter. Greg Zuerlein made the kick on his first field goal attempt of the game.
The Cowboys drove 37 yards in 11 plays. Apart from the fake punt, a big play for Dallas was a 24-yard completion early in the drive on second-and-25.
(49ers 23, Cowboys 10, 11:58 left in fourth quarter)
Cowboys use fake punt for first down
In a desperate situation in the fourth quarter, Dallas used a fake punt to get a fourth-quarter first down. Down by 16 points and facing a fourth-and-5 play at their own 48-yard line, the Cowboys had punter Bryan Anger throw a pass to C.J. Goodwin that went for 16 yards.
The Cowboys then stayed in punt formation on the next play, in an apparent attempt to confuse the 49ers. Dallas ended up taking a delay-of-game penalty on that play.
Third quarter: 49ers 23, Cowboys 7
San Francisco used a pair of huge plays back-to-back to break open a playoff game against host Dallas in the third quarter. An interception of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, following immediately by a Deebo Samuel rushing touchdown, helped give the 49ers a 23-7 edge through three quarters.
Samuel has a game-high 82 yards from scrimmage, while teammate Elijah Mitchell has 77 yards and a score on 20 carries.
6:48 p.m.
This is a really good performance by the 49ers.They’ve controlled the ball on offense. They’ve gotten the running game going just enough, with two rushing touchdowns. Jimmy Garoppolo has not made any significant mistakes against a Dallas defense that led the league in takeaways during the regular season.And the defense is keeping Dak Prescott and the Cowboys from getting anything going at all. Prescott threw the interception that allowed the Niners to extend their lead to 23-7 with Deebo Samuel’s touchdown.The 49ers have this game under control, if they don’t make mistakes. Expect Kyle Shanahan to be very conservative on offense and not allow Garoppolo any chances to make a game-changing gaffe.
Mark Maske
,
Sports reporter covering the NFL
49ers intercept Cowboys, get TD for 23-7 lead
The 49ers got the game’s first turnover on a third-quarter interception, then got a touchdown to extend their lead to 23-7. Deebo Samuel took a handoff and ran 26 yards for the score.
One play earlier, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott was picked off by San Francisco cornerback K’Waun Williams. Prescott had not been intercepted in any of his four previous games while throwing 13 touchdown passes in that span. He’ll now have to throw heavily for the rest of the game, in all likelihood, while his team attempts to stage a major rally.
(49ers 23, Cowboys 7, 5:40 left in third quarter)
6:29 p.m.
The Cowboys simply cannot get going on offense, even when the 49ers hand them an opportunity.That roughing-the-punter penalty on the Niners could have been a game-changing play. The Cowboys were given 15 yards and a first down out of a fourth-and-14 predicament.But the Cowboys did nothing with their gifted chance and ended up punting again (then punting yet again, after the officials announced a “do-over” when the ball struck the video board hanging above the field).The Cowboys had a chance to double up, with possession of the ball just before halftime and then again to open the second half. They didn’t score either time. And now the 49ers are very much in control of the game, especially if they can add points on this drive.
Mark Maske
,
Sports reporter covering the NFL
Nick Bosa ruled out with concussion
Nick Bosa, the 49ers’ top pass-rusher, has been ruled out for the rest of the game with a concussion he suffered on a blow to the head late in the second quarter. Bosa was coming after Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott when he was inadvertently injured by teammate D.J. Jones.
Cowboys hit video screen on punt
Dallas punter Bryan Anger hit the giant video screen at his team’s AT&T Stadium on a third-quarter punt attempt. Officials ruled that a re-kick was needed and replayed the down.
Earlier in the drive, the first of the second half, Anger was hit by 49ers defenders on a punt attempt, resulting in a roughing-the-kicker call. That temporarily gave the Cowboys new life, but they soon had to kick it away again.
(49ers 16, Cowboys 7, 10:35 left in third quarter)
Halftime: 49ers 16, Cowboys 7
It could be worse for Dallas, but it ain’t great. The Cowboys find themselves down by nine at the half, at 16-7, after being mostly outplayed by the 49ers in the first two quarters.
San Francisco had to settle for field goals on three of its four scoring drives, or its margin might be bigger. The Dallas defense does get some credit for limiting the number of big plays made against it, particularly by the 49ers’ dangerous Deebo Samuel, but the Cowboys have not been able to make San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo feel very uncomfortable.
Garoppolo completed 11 of 14 first-half passes for 133 yards, with no sacks and a 106.3 rating. Counterpart Dak Prescott had 89 yards on 9-of-16 passing, with a touchdown, one sack taken and a 93.0 rating. 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk had a game-leading 67 yards on four catches, while teammate Elijah Mitchell ran for 57 yards and a score on 15 carries.
Samuel, whose talents as both a pass-catcher and ball-carrier resulted in 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns this season, had two catches in the first half for 34 yards and four carries for 13 yards. Amari Cooper accounted for Dallas’s score on a 20-yard touchdown catch, and he led his team with four receptions for 47 yards.
San Francisco nearly doubled up Dallas in time of possession, 19:16 to 10:44, and the 49ers are averaging 6.2 yards per play to just 3.9 for the Cowboys.
6:04 p.m.
The Cowboys are not out of this game, by any means. But that was not a promising first-half performance.They had only 110 yards of total offense. Dak Prescott threw for only 89 yards. The defense allowed the 49ers to score points on four straight possessions to open the game.The Cowboys will need to be far better, virtually across the board, in the second half if they are going to advance.Nick Bosa’s injury near the end of the first half, suffered in a collision with a 49ers teammate, could be significant, however. He’s a game-changing player on defense. If he doesn’t play in the second half, the Cowboys will have a better chance to get something going on offense.
Mark Maske
,
Sports reporter covering the NFL
5:31 p.m.
That was a pretty conservative call by Kyle Shanahan, opting for the field goal over a fourth-and-one attempt on offense from the Dallas 22-yard line.The 49ers have amassed 149 rushing yards already. They could have pushed their lead to 17 points if they’d converted on fourth down and then reached the end zone.Still, the field goal keeps the momentum on the Niners’ side. Everything has gone right for them. All has gone wrong for the Cowboys. Shanahan kept the Cowboys from having an opportunity to make a big play on defense to reverse that.
Mark Maske
,
Sports reporter covering the NFL
5:13 p.m.
It’s early. But it’s time for the Cowboys and their fans to be at least a bit anxious about the way this game has started.Analyst Tony Romo declared that very early, saying on the CBS broadcast following the 49ers’ opening touchdown: “You’re nervous right now if you’re a Cowboys fan.”The Niners have added a field goal since then for a 10-0 advantage. The Niners are formidable. They can control games with their ball-possession, grind-it-out approach on offense and their sturdy defense. The Cowboys cannot allow this deficit to grow much larger.
Mark Maske
,
Sports reporter covering the NFL
4:55 p.m.
That is a tremendous start for the 49ers, with that opening-drive touchdown.They blended the run and the pass. Jimmy Garoppolo got off to a good beginning. Deebo Samuel made an immediate impact.Home teams are 3-0 so far during this opening weekend of the NFL playoffs. But the visiting Niners have sent an early-game message that the Cowboys’ task in this game is considerably more daunting.
Mark Maske
,
Sports reporter covering the NFL
