49ers’ win makes for great TV
ARLINGTON, TEXAS >> How do sportswriters celebrate after beating a playoff-game deadline on the road?
The microwavable pizza went in for 4 minutes, a bottle of Texas’ finest Yellow Rose IPA was cracked, and Room 426’s television kindly replayed the 49ers’ win over the Cowboys.
Hence, more writing was done while my colleagues and I had our own re-watch party. My notes, after booking travel to Green Bay for Saturday’s next playoff tilt:
• If the 49ers win again, Aaron Rodgers falls to 0-4 against his childhood team in playoff games, quite a stain on a Packers’ legacy that could end Saturday.
• If Rodgers wants to defect to the 49ers like last spring, can a two-time reigning MVP really be stiff-armed, in further favor of Jimmy Garoppolo or Trey Lance? Well, a six-time champ was, and now he has seven rings (see: Brady, Tom).
• Last one on Rodgers: his three years on the bench behind Brett Favre will be Exhibit A if the 49ers sit Lance another year, behind a playoffconquering Garoppolo (or Rodgers). So much for mimicking Patrick Mahomes’ one-year apprenticeship.
• Was Nick Bosa done in by a second shooter in Dallas? Before his head collided with the right hip of 305-pound teammate D.J. Jones, Bosa took a hit to the helmet by right tackle La’el Collins, whose takedown of Bosa drew a holding penalty.
• Bosa’s thumbs-up to the crowd was reminiscent of the 49ers’ last playoff opener. Two years ago against the Vikings, Bosa rose from an injury scare, pointed to the home crowd chanting his name and playfully strutted to the sideline. Pretty sure the 49ers Faithful bellowed out “Bosa, Bosa!” in Dallas, too
• Why must television and pressbox announcers insist on calling Bosa by his brother Joey’s name? By the way, it’s cool that Nickelodeon was showing/sliming the game — or was it on Joeylodeon?
• “I’m livid if I’m a Cowboys fan,” says noted Cowboys fan Tony Romo, who was over the top and high strung as CBS’ color man during Dallas’ comeback. John Madden didn’t pick
sides, other than his love of linemen and turducken.
• Twenty years after his dad played for the 49ers, Cedrick Wilson Jr. lost a ball in the sun, fumbled one out of bounds, committed one of Dallas’ 14 penalties, and was Dak Prescott’s target on K’Waun Williams’ interception.
• Williams third-quarter theft atoned for giving up Prescott’s lone touchdown pass in the first quarter. A week earlier, Williams did not play as he recovered from COVID. He’s apparently the 49ers’ only unvaccinated player; he wore a mask to Sunday’s postgame interview.
• “Terrible,” Jimmie Ward said of failing to catch a 55-yard bomb, which he appeared to alligator arm as the goal line approached him.
• Travis Benjamin’s first reception as a 49er — and first since 2019 — came on Garoppolo’s first pass Sunday. It went for 17 yards. Benjamin wears No. 17, if you didn’t know who that was.
• Best route: Last two minutes of the third quarter, Brandon Aiyuk jukes All-Pro rookie Trevon Diggs, and although it’s overthrown, Aiyuk tried to make a leaping catch. Such extra effort got him a third-down conversion earlier in the game.
• No kicker in NFL playoff history is more accurate than Robbie Gould (18-of-18 on field goal attempts, 31-of-31 on pointafter kicks).
• The last two minutes were like a NBA game,
long after Gould had drained his 3-pointers like Steph Curry.
• Garoppolo’s fourthquarter passer rating in four playoff starts: 19.4, the NFL’s lowest in the last 30 years, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. Garoppolo is 9-of-20 for 93 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns. Oh, he’s also 3-1.
• “Hope the faithful show my guy @JimmyG_10 the love he deserves. There is a reason he has so much love and respect from his teammates.” — Richard Sherman tweeted (and Lance retweet with an emphatic endorsement).
• Best penalty: Guard Daniel Brunskill getting wrestled to the ground and drawing a holding call on Dallas’ Randy Gregory, resulting in a first down after Samuel got stopped for no gain, in what would have been third-and-9 with 1:31 to go.
• Dallas ran seven times on its second-quarter touchdown drive. The rest of the game: 14 carries and 49 pass plays, including five sacks and a fake punt completion.
• Josh Norman sure got fooled on the Cowboys’ fake punt, maybe because he thought it’d clank off the overhead jumbotron, like an earlier do-over. Maybe Norman should be done fooling the 49ers.
• This was the 49ers’ first playoff win in Dallas, where they lost their 1971 and ’93 teams lost in the NFC Championship Game.
• Not sure who Kyle Shanahan awarded the game ball, but it won’t top what Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor did after the franchise’s first playoff win in 31 years. Taylor honored the locals by dropping off game balls at three taverns. A genius way to bar hop.
• If the Cowboys sack Mike McCarthy, they can
avoid the interview charade that eight other teams are doing now for vacancies. They should promote defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who got his NFL start 20 years ago with Steve Mariucci’s 49ers.
• My next-coach predications: Broncos — Quinn; Vikings — Jim Harbaugh; Giants — Brian Flores; Bears — Doug Pederson; Jaguars — Byron Leftwich; Dolphins — Brian Daboll; Texans — Josh McDaniels; Raiders — Rich Bisaccia.
• Garoppolo and George Kittle finally got on the same page for at least one catch — and one postgame train of thought about the wild ending. Said Garoppolo: “It made for some good TV, I guess.” Said Kittle: “I think the Niners make for great TV.”
I’ll be sure to watch the replay Saturday night in Green Bay. Everyone’s invited to my room. Again.