Henry Roldán
The second weekend of NFL Postseason 2023 brings down the curtain on Sunday with the NFC Divisional Round matchup between Cowboys vs 49ers.
Dallas earned a solid victory in the Wild Card round after beating the Buccaneers by a score of 31-14 as the visiting team, while San Francisco beat the Seahawks 23-41 at home.
Without further ado, at JefeBet, we bring you the best preview of the stellar clash between the Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers NFC Divisional Round Game on January 22, 2023
- Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
- When: Sunday, January 22, 2023, 6:30 PM ET
Odds provided by BetMGM.
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Betting on the Dallas Cowboys
- Regular Season Record: 12-5 (1st wild card – 4th NFC seed)
- BetMGM Spread: +4.0
- BetMGM Moneyline: +165
- BetMGM Over/Under: 46
The Dallas Cowboys got off to a great start in the 2023 NFL postseason by snapping an eight-game winless streak on the road that stretched back to the 1993 playoffs.
Dallas was completely superior to the Buccaneers throughout the game thanks to a spectacular performance by Dak Prescott, the Cowboys’ quarterback, who for now silenced the doubters about his insecurity problems in the postseason.
Prescott finished with 305 yards passing and four touchdowns, numbers with which he won the duel against the legendary Tom Brady, who ended the campaign leading Tampa Bay’s offense with a complicated loss.
But, the Dallas quarterback was not the only offensive sensation for his team, as once again the running back duo of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott showed what they are capable of — all good news for coach Mike McCarthy before taking on the league’s best defense.
Speaking of the defensive side, the Cowboys are considered to be in the top five on the circuit along with San Francisco. And, on Monday night, they did Brady and company dirty, which wasn’t too difficult to accomplish considering the Bucs finished among the weakest offenses in the entire NFL.
Of course, the 49ers have more weapons to attack, and we will see if they are able to stop Brock Purdy, the current rookie star. For them, they have arguments enough, as they are the third unit with more catches (54) and the ninth most efficient in the red zone by allowing only a 52% effectiveness of touchdowns to their opponents.
Betting on the San Francisco 49ers
- Regular Season Record: 13-4 (NFC West Champion – 2nd seed NFC)
- BetMGM Spread: -4.0
- BetMGM Moneyline: -200
- BetMGM Over/Under: 46
The San Francisco 49ers easily accomplished their goal of defeating the Seahawks in the Wild Card round and remain the odds-on favorite in the National Conference to reach the Super Bowl.
Including the regular round, the San Francisco team has 11 wins in a row thanks to an impressive solidity in each of its areas, despite the presence of rookie Brock Purdy as starting quarterback.
Replacing Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, both of whom are injured, Purdy has been a superlative performer and has guided this great offense like a gridiron veteran. Against the Seahawks, he threw for 332 yards with three touchdown passes and handled a roster loaded with stellar weapons to perfection.
As a runner, they have one of the best in the circuit (Christian McCaffrey); while through the air, they have several excellent options like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle. All of those are names that allow the head coach, Kyle Shanahan, to have probably the most dynamic offense in the league on his hands.
If that wasn’t enough, during the 11-game winning streak, the 49ers have scored at least 30 points eight times. If you give that support to the best defense in the league, it’s most probable that they’re not going to be successful in the matches.
San Francisco led nearly every major defensive category in the league after finishing with the fewest points allowed (277), with the fewest total yards conceded (5,110), and with the most interceptions gained (20). To that, we can add that they were second in fumbles recovered (30), the fewest total yards on the ground (1,321), and average yards per carry (3.4).
JefeBet Prediction
The Cowboys left a very good feeling after their visit to Tampa Bay, but let’s keep in mind that the Buccaneers were the only team in the postseason with a negative record and that their offense was among the worst in the league.
The team from San Francisco is very different from the Bucs and their only weakness, which they haven’t had yet, is the presence of rookie Brock Purdy in the middle of the offense.
If there’s one thing this Cowboys team does well is putting pressure on the opposing quarterback, exactly what they did on Monday with Tom Brady and what they’re relying on to have any chance against the 49ers.
San Francisco’s offensive weapons seem to be unlimited, and the touchdowns should not take long to fall. The question is whether Dak Prescott and company can do the same against a defense that has allowed fewer than 20 points nine times in its last nine wins.
Prediction: Over (DAL 20 – SF 27).
