Jan 22, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) runs from Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (90) during the third quarter of a NFC divisional round game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Groundhog Day for Cowboys in San Francisco

What a disappointing season finale for the Dallas Cowboys.

Not all that unfamiliar for the owner/general manager, coaches, players, and fans of this organization, as the Cowboys 2022 season ends on the road in a 19-12 Divisional Playoff loss to San Francisco. It is another season that fell short of the goals set in the preseason, during the season, and in the playoffs.

Something that owner/general manager Jerry Jones has seen over and over and over and over again.

It just wasn’t in the cards this year for the Cowboys, who have not been to an NFC Championship game since the 1995 season.

It’s Groundhog Day!

On Sunday, the game was owned on the field by both defenses. In the end, the Cowboys could not find enough big plays against the 49ers to earn a road playoff victory and a chance to play for the NFC’s spot in the Super Bowl.

Instead, the offseason will be filled with a lot of ‘what ifs’ and ‘how comes,’ but those are for down the road.

Today, let’s focus on the big plays and moments that did and didn’t go the Cowboys’ way in Sunday’s loss.

Let’s break it down by quarter. We’ll start with what didn’t go right.

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

The Cowboys only had two significant plays go their way but produced just three points. Both of those plays came in the third quarter:

Playoff games in the NFL hinge on the smallest of margins. Sunday, those margins played out in the big plays and moments of a 19-12 playoff war.

In the end, most of those situations didn’t go the Cowboys’ way. The situations that did go their way did not produce enough points to extend the season beyond Sunday afternoon.

On to the offseason with those all-too-familiar feelings of what could have been.

Hey, there’s always next year!

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