Tension flared before the NFC Divisional round between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers kicked off in Levi’s Stadium, according to a Sunday tweet from Dallas Morning News Cowboys reporter Michael Gehlken.
A little drama in Cowboys-49ers pregame: Niners apparently took offense to Cowboys kicker Brett Maher warming up on side of field, stepping in middle of his operation to interrupt drill. Niners eventually allowed Maher to resume kicking. He made next try. pic.twitter.com/zOuYIDp3El
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 22, 2023
Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher, who usually conducts warm ups on both sides of the field, was interrupted by several Niners players while working through his usual warmup routine before kickoff, wrote Gehlken. The players, including Niners left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, confronted Maher and Cowboys holder Bryan Anger before the NFC Divisional round matchup.
Though the confrontation was mostly verbal, Samuel “gave a light nudge” and Williams “gave a light elbow bump” to Cowboys long snapper Jake McQuaide, who appeared to “come to the defense” of Anger, Maher and long snapper Matt Overton.
McQuaide was placed on injures reserve after he suffered a torn triceps on the final rep of a Week 4 matchup against the Washington Commanders. Matt Overton, a 10-year NFL pro, took McQuaide’s place as the team’s long snapper, playing in double-digit snaps on special teams in five different games, according to Pro Football Reference. McQuaide still assists the team’s specialists.
Maher “looked shaky” during pregame warmups, eventually getting to the point where Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stepped on the field to talk to Maher. The 33-year-old kicker made NFL history when he missed four extra points against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Both Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott put their faith in the four-year NFL pro, with Prescott playfully calling Maher the “Money Maher” and saying he had not lost confidence in the team’s starting kicker.
“We’ve got trust in him,” Elliott said after Thursday’s practice. “We’ve got faith in him. That’s our brother and we’re not going to turn our back on him. Last week we ain’t really need him.
“But this week we probably will.”
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