The Dallas Cowboys face a tough task as they prepare to battle the 49ers and their vaunted defense Sunday in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Levi’s Stadium.
But Dallas owner Jerry Jones believes his quarterback Dak Prescott can give San Francisco a run for its money -- literally.
Prescott tallied 24 yards rushing and a touchdown on seven carries to go with his 143.3 passer rating in the Cowboys’ wild-card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, and Jones expects the quarterback to use his legs against the 49ers as well.
“In the regular season, I didn’t see him saving anything,” Jones said Tuesday on the Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan after he was asked if Prescott had been saving his legs for the playoffs.
“I saw him take advantage of some opportunity. He probably could have [run] more times during the season, but the answer is in some of those games, we might not have needed it. Why do it, why risk it? Here [in the playoffs], we all understand why risk it.”
The 49ers eliminated the Cowboys in last year’s wild-card round, and the game ended after a Prescott scramble when the quarterback wasn’t able to spike the ball in time. On Monday, Prescott referred to that loss as a “scar” ahead of this season’s playoff rematch with San Francisco.
Prescott was “focused” against the Bucs, Jones said, and the veteran’s preparation helped lead Dallas to the divisional round. The Cowboys owner anticipates much of the same from Prescott on Sunday in all facets of his game.
San Francisco 49ers
“I think what you saw there [Monday] night, we’re going to get to see a lot of when we play San Francisco in terms of him keeping the ball and relying on that triple threat that he can have,” Jones said. “If we could get it, if he’s healthy enough to do it, his being able to instinctively take that ball and run with it … is really a dimension that [the 49ers’] defense has a difficult time adjusting to.”
While it’s true that the 49ers’ defense has struggled against mobile quarterbacks in the past, this 2022 NFL season is a different story. San Francisco allowed the fifth-fewest yards rushing to quarterbacks among all NFL teams during the regular season with 213 or 12.5 per game.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, who was a top-10 rushing quarterback during the regular season, ran for 28 yards on four attempts against the 49ers in Saturday’s wild-card game.
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But after eliminating Tampa Bay with last year’s playoff loss to San Francisco fresh on his mind, there’s no doubt Prescott will be a man on a mission come Sunday.
Luckily for the 49ers, they have plenty of triple threats on their team, too.