Cowboys' fall short in late comeback against the 49ers 23-17
For the first time since the mid 90's, the Cowboys faced the 49ers in a winner take all playoff wild-card match-up. You would think the Cowboys' offense would have a great half, but that was not the case. San Francisco jumped out to a 13-0 lead early on until Dak Prescott hit Amari Cooper for a 20-yard touchdown grab midway in the second to finally get on the scoreboard. The running attack for the "Boys" was non-existent as Elliot and Pollard combined for 26 yards in both quarters. The only bright spot that seemed encouraging for Dallas was the defense. Each time the 9ers looked like they had a productive drive going, the defense would force them in third and long situations, which sputtered their drive and forced San Fran to attempt long field goals. Despite the disheartening half, Dallas walked into the locker room down 16-7 and would get the ball to start off the second half.
If the Cowboys wanted to go home early, it looked that way. Their body language at the start of the second half, lacked confidence. From false starts to neutral zone infractions, the Cowboys were killing themselves mentally. Even Prescott felt the pressure of the game and threw a crucial pick midway in the third, which helped the 49ers extend their lead with a touchdown after the interception.
There was a little confidence booster after Dallas caught the 49ers napping on a potential punt. They faked the punt and got a first down; however Dallas got a little too cute and kept their players on the field,hoping the 49ers would burn a timeout. It did not work and Dallas ended up hurting themselves with a delay of game. A couple of plays later, the Cowboys were forced to kick a long field, which was successful to make it a 23-10 game.
The Cowboys got a huge break with nine minutes left in regulation as they picked off JImmy G, which put them in a good spot to climb back into the game. Prescott was like hold my water and I will get you back in the game. A couple plays later, Prescott strolled in the endzone to cut the lead down to six, 23-17. With under .45 seconds left, Prescott had the chance to take his team down the field to win it for Cowboys' nation. Prescott got his team down the field for one last gasp of breath. Prescott made a mental mistake. Instead of throwing the ball out of bounds, he ran for 20- yards. Mind you, the Cowboys did not have any timeouts and that run, cost the Cowboys the game.
