We will witness the latest chapter in a historic NFC rivalry when the San Francisco 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Round on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. This will be the ninth postseason meeting between the two teams, with Dallas having won five of eight to this point.
The Cowboys will be looking to avenge a 23-17 loss to the 49ers in last season’s wild-card round while attempting to advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1997. San Francisco has won five consecutive Divisional Round games, including two straight under Kyle Shanahan.
Brock Purdy has yet to lose in six consecutive starts, including last week’s wild-card win over Seattle, as he passed for 332 yards, three TDs, and rushed for another TD. He is coming off his best game, but the Dallas defense presents his stiffest test.
The Cowboys led the NFL with 33 takeaways and were third with 54 sacks during the regular season. The Dallas offense (27.5 points per game ) also is up against a significant challenge against the San Francisco defense, which led the NFL with 16.3 points per game allowed.
Before reading Scott Engel’s picks, toggle with the widget below for our full list of NFL Divisional Round player props:
Cowboys vs 49ers Player Props
Christian McCaffrey: Under 34.5 Receiving Yards (-113) at Caesars Sportsbook
Wager: 1 Unit
The 49ers have so many ways to attack a defense with their multiple offensive weapons. But if the Cowboys limit the production of McCaffrey, there will be more pressure on Purdy to carry the offense.
Dallas did a good job of holding opposing RBs in check during the regular season, allowing the fourth-fewest receptions and seventh-fewest yards to the position.
McCaffrey is regarded as the best receiving RB in the NFC, but it may raise an eyebrow to realize he has not topped 34 receiving yards in five of his past six games. He had 17 receiving yards in the Wild Card game against Seattle.
CeeDee Lamb: Over 77.5 Receiving Yards (-117) at Caesars Sportsbook
Wager: 1 Unit
The San Francisco secondary can be exploited as we saw last week. DK Metcalf burned the 49ers’ 20th-ranked pass defense for 136 yards, including a 50-yard TD reception.
Find more Cowboys vs 49ers betting plays
- Check out our full Cowboys vs 49ers Predictions.
- Build a big winner with our Cowboys vs 49ers Parlays.
The 49ers ranked 27th in yardage allowed to WRs during the regular season. Lamb had three 100-yard outings in his final four regular season games.
Cowboys vs 49ers Prop Bets
Cowboys: Over 20.5 Points (-115) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 2 Units
Throughout the years, when a top defense has faced a potent offense, the defense will frequently win out. But as I indicated in the Lamb prop, the 49ers’ defense is not a complete shutdown unit, further indicated by the 34 points they allowed to the Raiders in Week 17 and the 17 points allowed in the first half to Seattle last week.
Dallas had not been held under the projected point total since Week 6 before its Week 17 loss to Washington, which I write off because the Cowboys knew they did not have a realistic shot of improving their playoff seeding.
Getting past the 20-point mark should certainly be doable for Dallas in this season’s playoffs, especially when you consider 10 of 12 teams scored 23-plus points in the Wild Card round.
Team To Score Most TDs: Cowboys (+158) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
This determination comes down to the quarterbacks for me. Dak Prescott had 15 interceptions in 12 games during the regular season, but none in the wild-card round and he has the edge in experience over Purdy.
I think the impressive run of success comes to an end for the San Francisco rookie QB on Sunday, as he does not deliver when needed in the fourth quarter.
I am picking the Cowboys to win this game on the moneyline, so I believe Prescott will lead his team to a critical scoring drive that proves to be the ultimate edge. Both QBs will turn the ball over, but Prescott is my pick to overcome any mistakes and come through at winning time.
