49ers @ Cowboys Wild Card Playoff Live Blog
Arlington, TX – This is the live blog from the San Francisco 49ers Wild Card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. I will update it frequently with information and analysis from the press gallery.
11:09 The 49ers are 6-0 when Deebo Samuel throws the ball more than five times. If we know it, they must know it too. I expect the 49ers to give Samuel between six and 10 carries, and to give running back Elijah Mitchell between 20 and 27 carries, and those two will control the game.
Jimmy Garoppolo will likely commit a turnover or two, and the 49ers defense will most likely give up big plays against the league’s No. 1 ranked offense. But the difference will be the 49ers’ dominant running game. The Cowboys’ rushing offense is simply mediocre. The game will therefore be easier for the 49ers. Dak Prescott will have to drop back more than Garoppolo, manage the pressure in the pocket and throw in tight downwind windows. Garoppolo will have to give in and make a few throws in the middle.
Samuel is the best offensive player in the NFL who is not a quarterback. So as long as the 49ers give him the ball, he and Mitchell should lead the 49ers to victory. All bets are off if either of these two were to get injured.
But they’re healthy now, so I’m picking the 49ers to win a high-scoring, run-dominated game that will come down to final possession.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: 49ers 34, Cowboys 30.
