The 49ers booked passage to their third NFCCG in four years after defeating the Dallas Cowboys 19-12 in an old fashioned slugfest. It was high drama and tense throughout and while not high-scoring, delivered an engrossing game.
Both teams came to play in what was a highly physical confrontation where both defenses had the better of their opposing offense for most of the game. The 49ers were held to just 312 yards of total offense while the Cowboys were only able to tally 282 yards, with each team getting into the end zone just once each.
In the end the game really came down to a few key plays. The 49ers got two huge INTs in the first half, the first of which gifted the 49ers 3 points and the second of which took at least 3 points off the Cowboys and allowed the 49ers to close out the half with another FG to take the lead. The 49ers did return the favour with a turnover of their own in the second half when McCloud fumbled a punt return, which the Cowboys were able to level the scores at 9-9.
But after trading punts, the 49ers got a big play from George Kittle who juggled the ball numerous times before latching on just before a Cowboys defender could knock the ball away for a 30-yard gain which got the 49ers rolling for their lone TD drive of the game and putting them in control in the fourth quarter.
While this wasn't Brock Purdy's best game by any stretch, against easily the best defense he has faced to date he once again did enough to keep the team moving the ball and avoided back breaking plays. He ended up outplaying Dak Prescott in this one and that was a key factor in deciding the game.
MVP of the game for mine goes to Fred Warner. He was immense throughout, displaying his elite coverage skills a number of times, including coming up with one of the INTs, while also being a key cog in the 49ers smothering the Cowboys running game. But there were a number of his defensive teammates who also deserve recognition for their contributions including Arik Armstead, Demo Lenoir and Jimmie Ward. It was an excellent defensive effort all round.
Robbie Gould's reliable boot was also an important factor as points were at a premium and he hit all 3 of his FGs plus the extra point despite some swirling winds.
With the Eagles and 49ers winning it sets up what should be an absolute belter of an NFCCG between two teams that in my opinion are the two most talented rosters in the NFL.
Nice write up Scooter.
ReplyDeleteYes, that Kittle bobbled catch was the turning point. Perplexing why we were so conservative in the game plan....maybe the message from coaches was to limit self-inflicted wounds (Knowing Dak is gonna be a gift that keeps giving lol).
Brock did enough to win this game. To be Honest, I think we might have lost this game with JG. Nothing but love for him, but Jimmy has the propensity to throw a pick at the most inopportune times and we might not have survived that.
Overall Good gritty team win. That being said, this kinda play won't cut it vs the Eagles.
Hurts is a better QB period than Dak.
Eagles OL is a monster, our DL will struggle with penetration.
Eagles DL is stacked. Haasan Reddick, Josh Sweat, Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham are playing lights out.
Eagles have great WRs in AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, would be tough taking away both.
Eagles Secondary is probably the best in the League.
We have an edge in LBs. TE and RB slight better off, but not by much.
Overall I think Eagles have a marginally better roster and a more seasoned QB. We have our work cut out.
This season we haven't travelled well. Always tough to play at the Iggles and we might see Purdy struggle with the environment. Should be a heck of a game... Can't wait for Championship Sunday!!
Hard hitting game. My admiration for Purdy continues to grow not for what he did but for what he didn't do - turnovers. The O-line was terrible for the most part, couldn't pass protect nor run block. McGlinchey was thrown to the ground by Parsons, a much smaller man. The O-line played like we expected them to play from the onset of the season, not good. Next, the Eagles.
ReplyDeleteYou should rewatch that play, a blocking mis-assignment (seemed there were a handful of those). Appeared Kittle only chipped Parsons but McG was expecting more, so once Kittle let Parsons go McG had to slide over to him so he wasn't a free runner, he was offbalance which is why Parsons was able to throw him down.
DeleteAlso, to say it was a terrible game for the O-Line, when they gave up just 2 sacks, no it was not terrible. Dallas sold out to stuff the run but as the game wore on you saw the oline winning...funny you don't credit McG on the CMcC TD run, dude opened the hole and also picked off the LB...was TEXTBOOK.
Man going to NFCCG feels great but even better after ending Dallas season!
ReplyDeleteOver a great many years, I have developed a distaste for a few teams. Rams, Cowboys, Packers, Giants and Seahawks. Sending home the Cowboys two years in a row warms my heart to no end.
DeleteWinning the SB this year after ending the Seahawks and Dallas seasons will be very special!
DeleteSo any clues why the Seahwaks and Dallas was able to stop the run in the 1st half of both games? Kudos to KS for making adjustments.
ReplyDeleteIt's the first half physicality that leaves opposing teams fatigued and vulnerable in the second.
DeleteExactly.
DeleteAlso, credit to the oline for just allowing 2 sacks to the #2 defense.
People will nitpick that they only got 1 td and Good as Go(u)ld saved them with 4 FGs, but they also only gave up 1 td and 2 fgs to a team which had been scoring 30+ for the last half of the season.
Turnovers were key. While they didn't end in 7, they both stopped the cowboys from scoring (key) and they both ended in field goals (key). Those 6 points were basically the difference in the game. Had they also not fumbled that punt it would have been a 10 pt win, but huge of the defense to step up and hold them to just 3.
People need to remember that these will be lower scoring games (for the most part) because teams are usually playing against the best teams so to expect a 35 - 13 route...not happening.
The short week reared its ugly head in the 4th quarter, because you could see the Cowboys were gassed defensively. Very satisfying victory if you're a 49ers fan.
ReplyDeleteIf the 49ers can shut down the Eagles running game they'll have a shot.
The line of scrimmage baby, the line of scrimmage.
DeleteJeff Deeney
ReplyDelete@PFF_Jeff
·
2h
This is where #49ers have advantage, Eagles are:
24th in yards per carry allowed
23rd in EPA/rush
23rd in run success rate %
Eagles will no doubt set their stall to defend the run. Which is actually where Purdy has been really good for the most part - doing a good job of taking what's available if the defense is defending the run aggressively. As good as the Eagles pass defense is, I think it could be vulnerable in the middle of the field if they are trying to take away the run.
DeleteI haven't been keeping stats, but it seems like every time I read that the upcoming opposing defense is poor or relatively poor against the run, they manage to stifle the 49ers run game. As Scooter says it's probably because they know the 49ers are a run first team and adjust accordingly.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's definitely part of it.
DeleteWorth noting though that not many teams have really been that successful in stopping the 49ers running game, especially since the team traded for CMC. They've been held below 100 yards rushing only once (96 yards vs the Saints) since trading for CMC. They've gone over 150 yards eight times in 13 games with CMC.
It has just felt like teams have been successful sometimes because they aren't breaking a lot of big ones. And sometimes in the first half of some games teams have been able to slow down the running game pretty well. But the 49ers typically have been able to get enough out of the running game to keep the offense on track and grind opponents down.
Yeah, I have to admit I miss the days when Breida and Mostert would break the big runs. Those plays, imo, were more exciting then deep pass plays (which were and still are relatively far and few between with 49er QBs).
DeleteMe too. Every time Mitchell or CMC are caught from behind, I think of Mostert and Breida. Still don't know why they let Breida walk -- I know he had a fumble. Well, they still had Mostert then and now he's gone. OK injury prone, but they haven't tried to replace them unless they were thinking Hasty -- but no way.
Delete@Lee
DeleteMostert wanted more guaranteed money than Niners wanted to pay. Breida had fumbling issues. Also he seemed not to hold up well in the inside run game. Niners got a 5th round pick with the latter's trade.
Niners are far more of a gap scheme run team than they were in 2017-2019 seasons. Last Sunday, when DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons chased down the outside runs in the first half, Niners focused on inside zone and gap scheme runs in the second half with eventual success. Inside running is perhaps the reason why Niners have been drafting slightly bigger and more versatile backs (but still light on feet and relatively fast).
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe 49ers-Cowboys game averaged 45.7 million viewers, per Fox Sports, which the network said is the second-best divisional game audience on record.
ReplyDeleteCharles Omenihu arrested for domestic violence...
ReplyDeleteSit him and activate Jackson. Maybe he can tip some balls.
DeleteSounds like a plan to me.
DeleteThat's funny, but you're right -- he's really good at it, and it could lead to an interception
DeleteThat's a pretty big loss, unfortunately. He's been one of their better DL this season.
DeleteGeorge:
DeleteHere's the article. I'm hoping he'll be able to play. I know domestic violence shouldn't be tolerated but it's appears to be still in the he-said, she-said stage and the article says nothing about a previous history.
https://www.ninersnation.com/2023/1/24/23569334/49ers-omenihu-domestic-violence
Well, that takes care of one off-season D Line contract extension dilemma off the plate...
ReplyDeleteLet's not be so quick to judge. From an article in the Mercury News:
Delete"As for what transpired later Monday, police say a woman told them Omenihu is her boyfriend and that he “pushed her to the ground during an argument.” She complained of arm pain, but officers “did not observe any visible physical injuries” and she declined medical attention, according to a police news release."
Although I might be wrong on this, I believe that if a domestic violence accusation is made, there has to be an arrest even if the claim turns out to be false later.
Not making any judgement beyond Omenhiu not being smart enough to avoid bad situations at a critical time in the season.
DeleteI have a premonition: We're going to run two "leak" plays. One to Kittle, one to Juszczyk. We haven't called one in a while. They're both going for touchdowns.
ReplyDeleteI could see that.
DeleteTakes a little more time to leak. I'd like to see Mason get in the rotation to contribute to the 40 rushes and then have Purdy throw around 30 times.
DeleteSome say Purdy lack of experience will hurt him. Okay so be it, Purdy already has more playoff wins than Hurts.
ReplyDeleteGeorge:
ReplyDeleteVideo highlights of that Purdy/Hurts college game in 2019:
https://www.nfl.com/videos/hurts-and-purdy-go-off-in-college-duel-nfl-throwback
Not gonna be easy but they can win this game.
ReplyDeleteThey will follow the WTF blueprint and WILL win this game.
DeleteIf both teams play their absolute best I give the 49ers a slight edge. Largely due to coaching.
DeleteAgreed, Scooter.
DeleteNiners just completed three months without a loss. A fine quarterly report.
ReplyDeleteRewatched all the Niners offensive snaps. This was Purdy's best game in my book. High stakes game, immense pressure, facing the strongest pass rush in his life (pressured on half of his dropbacks), receivers far better covered than in his 6 previous games, AND still did not make a major error. Just unreal.
ReplyDeleteDuring the game, I was watching the right side of the pocket with great trepidation on every dropback. This time, I focused on Purdy's feet. Very precise and efficient footwork and lightness of feet for a rookie.
Speaking of great footwork, here's Williams vs. Parsons one-on-one:
https://twitter.com/BenFennell_NFL/status/1617539073832521736
Scooter:
ReplyDeleteAs always, another great summation of the game!
* After rewatching the game, I feel KS play calling was more conservative then previous games, trying to protect Purdy from making a mistake against pressure from Dallas's D line.
Since the 9ers won the game, maybe he was right? But IMO, to
Beat the Eagles he will need to open up the offense and give Purdy
a chance to make plays
* One change I would like to see KS make. Use Mitchell and Mason
more in the first quarter to run the ball against the Eagles and save
CMC for later in the game after wearing down the Eagles D front 7.
I have a feeling we will win this Sunday. No sound analysis behind this, just a feeling.
ReplyDeleteI watched the Giants vs Iggles game and first of all the Giants personnel don't compare with ours. Secondly, there were too many missed tackles from the G-Men and as CMC says "they left a lot of meat on the bones".
I feel Hufanga or Greenlaw will make a big play in this game. Hufanga has been solid the past few games and Greenlaw almost had an INT the last game.
Unless we come out totally flat or Brock is too loose with the ball (2 scenarios which I don't see happening), we won't lose. Go Niners!
Mugeek9er
ReplyDeleteI believe the first 6 - 8 minutes of the 1st qtr are critical. 1) If the 9er DB's do NOT give up a long TD, I see the winner being the team that has the least penalties and turnovers.
2) If the Eagles pass rush does NOT force Purdy into a critical mistake
Niner fans hung a Niner jersey on the Rocky Balboa statue in Eagle land.
ReplyDelete🥊
Delete