SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Christian McCaffrey scored a 2-yard goal in the fourth quarter, and the San Francisco defense did the rest, sending the 49ers to their second straight NFC title game with a 19-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
The 49ers (15-4) used straight long-range assists in the second half to wear down the Cowboys (13-6) and win their 12th straight game. San Francisco took the lead to play the Eagles in the NFC title game next Sunday in Philadelphia after losing this round to the Rams a year ago.
The Cowboys lost a record seventh consecutive time in the divisional round and have failed to advance to the NFC title game since winning their fifth Super Bowl title since the 1995 season.
Duck Prescott threw two interceptions and Brett Maher missed his fifth extra point of the postseason when his try was blocked. He later scored two field goals.
The Cowboys had a chance when they took the upper hand at 18 with 2:59 left, trailing 19-12 after Robbie Gould’s fourth field goal ended in almost eight minutes of play.
But Prescott had two non-completions in a row and was fired on the third down. Coach Mike McCarthy decided to put in fourth and tenth with all three timeouts remaining.
Rookie Brock Purdy started the next drive with a 16-yard completion from George Kittle, and San Francisco didn’t pass the ball to Dallas until 45 seconds to 6. Dallas never got close from there.
Purdy, last drafted last April, improved his starting score to 7-0 after replacing the injured Jimmy Garoppolo early in week 13. ) and Mark Sanchez (2009) as the only rookie QBs to win two playoff starts.
The 49ers took the lead in the first game of the fourth quarter when McCaffrey completed a 91-yard dash with a 2-yard run.
In that drive, Kittle caught the ball deftly from 30 yards, and against Dallas, he made a couple of defensive moves, including one on Donovan Wilson near the goal line that canceled out a third down.
Maher hit his second field goal when he converted from 43 yards to cut San Francisco’s lead to 16–12.
The top two scoring teams in the NFL over the past 13 weeks had trouble starting as defense led by pro players Nick Boza of San Francisco and Micah Parsons of Dallas controlled the game.
The Nines turned Prescott’s two interceptions in the first half into Robbie Gould’s field goals and led 9-6 in the first half.
The Cowboys scored the only first-half touchdown as Prescott connected with tight end Dalton Schultz for the third time this postseason. But Maher’s low attempt with an extra point was blocked by Samson Ebukam.
Maher got some redemption when he hit a 25-yard field goal to tie at 9 early in the third quarter after Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled a return kick at San Francisco 21.
JUST FOR FUN
The Cowboys’ decision to stay with Maher after he missed four extra points last week looked dubious when he missed the first extra point.
While Maher was warming up, there was a skirmish before the game. Trent Williams and other 49ers players tried to thwart his attempts from San Francisco, leading to a brief argument.
INJURIES
Cowboys: RB Tony Pollard quit late in the first half after injuring his left ankle during a post-reception tackle. He did not return to the game. … DT Calvin Watkins (calf) ruled out in the first half.
49ers: DE Charles Omenihu (oblique) was briefly out of action in the first half but returned to play.
NEXT
The 49ers will achieve their second Super Bowl in four seasons with a victory in Philadelphia.
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