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The San Francisco 49ers secured a playoff bid in the final week of the 2021 NFL season by defeating the Los Angeles Rams in an overtime thriller. Making the postseason as a wild-card team, the 49ers begin the postseason on the road against the NFC East Champion Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas finished 12-5 in the regular season, earning the fourth seed in the conference. The 49ers (10-7) posted a 6-3 mark in away games this season. The Cowboys, meanwhile, registered a 5-3 mark at AT&T Stadium.
For more insight on the 49ers' Wild Card playoff matchup against the Cowboys, listen below:
The 49ers and Cowboys have a longstanding playoff rivalry. The two squads have met in six conference title games (1970-71, 1981, 1992-94) and one divisional-round matchup (1972), but this will be their first matchup in the NFC Wild Card round. The Cowboys are 5-2 in the playoffs against the 49ers.
Ahead of the eighth postseason matchup between these two iconic franchises, let’s make four bold predictions from a 49ers perspective.
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49ers predictions for Wild Card game vs. Cowboys
4. Jimmy Garoppolo eclipses 300 passing yards
49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had to fend off rookie Trey Lance for the starting gig this season. While Garoppolo was named the starter in the offseason, his status as the team’s QB1 felt insecure for much of the season, which is par for the course after the club selected Lance with the No. 3 overall pick of the draft.
Garoppolo led the 49ers to the playoffs for the second time in the past three years. He helped the franchise reach the Super Bowl following the 2019 campaign. Garoppolo’s future beyond this year remains a major question mark, but the 30-year-old should produce an impressive stat line on Sunday against the Cowboys.
While Garoppolo averaged 254 passing yards per contest this season, he logged 295 yards or more in four of his five final games. In fact, he compiled 315-plus passing yards in each of his last two outings. He came up clutch against the Rams in Week 18 during the overtime victory.
Jimmy Garoppolo finally stepping up with all the pressure on the line, he deserves his credit. pic.twitter.com/T20UdPDaak
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 10, 2022
Facing off against the Cowboys’ 21st-ranked pass defense, Garoppolo will be counted on to air it out. FanDuel Sportsbook places Garoppolo’s passing yards over/under at 248.5. However, Garroppolo should easily crush that figure as he accumulates over 300 passing yards.
3. Brandon Aiyuk leads 49ers in receiving
Sophomore receiver Brandon Aiyuk sometimes gets overlooked in San Francisco. It’s partially understandable as the 49ers are a run-first offense. Plus, their top-two passing options, wideout Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle, earned Pro Bowl selections this season, further cementing their status as superstars.
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Although Aiyuk is not the focal point of the offense, the talented 23-year-old ended the season on a tear and will come up big against the Cowboys. Aiyuk posted 94 and 107 yards in Weeks 17 and 18, respectively. Across his final 10 games played, he logged 43 receptions for 685 yards and four touchdowns.
Aiyuk has a favorable matchup for Sunday’s tilt. He will likely run most of his routes against Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs. While Diggs led the NFL in interceptions (11) and was named to the Pro Bowl, he yielded the most coverage yards of any cornerback this season.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs has given up over 1,000 yards into his coverage this season, most in the NFL
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) January 2, 2022
During the regular season, Aiyuk led the 49ers in receiving on four separate games. Two of those occasions came in Weeks 17 and 18. After Sunday, Aiyuk will have been the 49ers’ leading receiver in three consecutive contests.
2. 49ers torched by Amari Cooper for two TDs
Similar to the Cowboys, the 49ers are much better at defending the run than the pass. In fact, the 49ers finished second in rush DVOA and permitted the seventh-fewest yards on the ground this season.
Facing off against the 49ers’ stingy run defense, the Cowboys are more likely to lean on the Dak Prescott-led passing attack. Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper has the best opportunity for a breakout outing in the Wild Card matchup. After voicing his displeasure with his lack of targets after Week 15, Cooper has been peppered with passes from Prescott over the past three games. Cooper averaged 8.3 targets in Week 16-18, compiling 15 grabs for 182 yards and two TDs during that stretch.
Amari Cooper wanted the ball more in the red zone pic.twitter.com/gcOx2MqNPC
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 27, 2021
Cooper led the Cowboys in red zone targets (18) this season. He will line up most often against 49ers rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas, a winnable showdown for Cooper. Look for Cooper to reach pay dirt twice against the 49ers.
1. San Francisco (+3) defeats Dallas
The 49ers are three-point underdogs at Dallas with the over/under set at 51 total points, according to oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook. This could be the most entertaining matcchup of Super Wild Card Weekend, with the possibility of a shootout looming.
Garoppolo’s ability to take care of the football could be the difference in the 49ers advancing to the divisional round. In his nine wins this season, Garoppolo committed just four turnovers. In his six losses, he coughed up the ball 11 times (nine interceptions, two fumbles lost).
The Cowboys’ opportunistic defense forced a league-high 34 turnovers this season, including a whopping 26 interceptions. They will look to disrupt Garoppolo, who accounted for one turnover per contest this season.
Garoppolo may throw an interception, but will take care of the ball enough to lead the visiting 49ers to a victory over the Cowboys—their first road playoff win since 2013.
