The Cowboys had to punt after their first possession, but 49ers returner Ray-Ray McCloud had the ball knocked out of his hand by Kelvin Joseph. Damone Clark recovered for the Cowboys at the San Francisco 21.
The Cowboys reached the San Francisco 7 before stalling.
On fourth down, they opted to send out their shaky kicker.
Brett Maher, who missed a PAT in Week 18, an NFL-record four PATs last week and had one blocked after the Cowboys’ touchdown Sunday, made a 25-yard field goal.
With 9:08 remaining in the third quarter, the Cowboys and 49ers are knotted at 9-9.
Prescott was lucky he didn’t throw a third interception on the third-down play on the goal line after the ball was batted in the air. He threw two picks in the first half, one in the red zone and another that put the 49ers in field goal range.