Zachary Engberg
2 min read • January 20, 2023
Posted in
I'm sorry Cowboys fans, you had to witness that again, but it had to happen.
This year the 49ers have a different starting quarterback, Brock Purdy, after Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot. The 49ers decided not to put Garoppolo on IR, but he hasn't practiced since suffering the injury.
Furthermore, Garoppolo has thrown four touchdowns in his playoff career, while Purdy had four total touchdowns in his first playoff game. The 49ers will survive without Garoppolo.
The 49ers' offense is healthy for the most part, with No. 3 wide receiver Jauan Jennings suffering an ankle injury against the Seahawks. But the injury isn't considered significant, and he was the only starter to go down on Saturday.
The 49ers have yet to face a defense like the Cowboys since Purdy became the starter.
The Cowboys' defense was eighth in passing yards allowed (200.9), fifth in scoring (20.1), third in sacks (54), and first in the NFL with 33 takeaways.
But the 49ers' offense has scored 34.6 points per game, with Purdy leading it.
The 49ers' defense has a star at every level. Nick Bosa (D-line), Fred Warner (Linebacker), Charvarius Ward (Cornerback), and Talanoa Hufanga (Safety).
These stars have helped the 49ers become the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL and the No. 2 overall ranked defense by PFF.
To make matters worse for the Cowboys, the 49ers' defense has a SIC score of 90.4, which means their defense is relatively healthy.
But the defense is recovering from a few injuries that have been lingering all season.
Top defensive linemen Arik Armstead, SIC score 90, and Javon Kinlaw, SIC score 88, each missed much of the season with lingering issues, but the duo played half of the defensive snaps in the Wild Card win and combined to log one sack and two TFL.
Dre Greenlaw briefly left due to a lower leg injury but returned and made a team-high 11 tackles, and defensive end Samson Ebukam suffered an ankle injury.
Kinlaw and Ebukam participated in practice on Wednesday and Thursday.
The 49ers are favored by 3.5 points at home and the over/under is 46.5 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Written by Zachary Engberg
