Cowboys at 49ers: The good, the bad, and the ugly from the Divisional Round

Well, for the second year in a row the Dallas Cowboys season ends in disappointment at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. It wasn’t quite the dominant victory it was a year ago, but in the end the 19-12 score was enough to send the Cowboys home hanging their heads.

What makes this loss a little more disappointing than the one they sustained last year at the hands of the 49ers is that this one was never quite out of reach for the Cowboys. They were very much in this game until the bitter end, but unfortunately a few things didn’t bounce their way and it end up costing them.

While it’s difficult to focus on anything good that came out of this Divisional Round loss we are not only going to do that today, but also take a look at some of the bad and ugly as well.

THE GOOD - Cowboys’ defense

All in all, the Dallas Cowboys defense was pretty phenomenal. They only allowed one touchdown that wouldn’t have even happened if not for some unfortunate back-to-back penalties that extended the drive. They contained one of the most explosive and high-scoring offenses in the league and kept the score close enough to give Dak Prescott and Company an opportunity to hold up their end of the bargain. Unfortunately, Dallas’ offense sadly couldn’t put enough points on the board to win out when it was all said and done.

THE BAD - Dak Prescott

If you want to point fingers as to why the Dallas Cowboys were knocked out of the playoffs for the second year in a row by the San Francisco 49ers, look no further then their starting QB, Dak Prescott. He was far from the near-perfect QB he was in the Wild Card round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. Instead, he reverted to his regular-season form by throwing two interceptions that the 49ers ended up turning into six points. Prescott’s INT’s have been a problem all season and ended up being the reason why their season ended.

THE UGLY - Self-inflicted wounds

Once again the Dallas Cowboys where their own worst enemy. This is a game they probably should’ve won if not for the self-inflicted wounds they had. Dak Prescott’s two interceptions were a big part of it, but so were Trevon Diggs’ missed INT and the back-to-back penalties on Donovan Wilson and Jonathan Hankins on the 49ers only TD drive. Sadly, the Cowboys simply weren’t good enough to overcome these mistakes and it ended up costing them the game. For the second year in a row, the Cowboys postseason ends in a huge disappointment.