Aura of uncertainty surrounds Cowboys after quick exit from playoffs

“I’ve never seen it come down the way it came down, until the collision between the umpire and the quarterback,” McCarthy said. “We were trying to get within the 30-yard line to set up the final piece. The mechanics were intact, I felt, right up to our end of it. The communication I got on the sidelines was that they were assessing it and I’d put the time back on the clock. Before I know it, they’re running off the field. That’s all I have for you.”

It’s always easy to focus on the most recent game, but the Cowboys cost themselves earlier in the quarter when they kept their punting team on the field after performing a successful fake. The unit acted like it was going to play a play. Meanwhile, the game clock ticked back to 19 seconds to send the attack rushing onto the field and be called up for game delay.

Imagine if they had just broadcast their attack and played a play with a few seconds left on the playing clock. Maybe they would have had time to take one last shot in the end zone to end the game. We will never know. The only certainty is that Dallas is out and San Francisco continues to play at Green Bay in the Division Round.

Unlike the Cowboys, who won the NFC East title relatively easily, the 49ers had to fight their way through the loaded NFC West. Getting into the playoffs required seven wins in their last nine games and the ability to quell adversity. So perhaps it was no surprise that they prevailed on Sunday despite losing Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa suffered a concussion in the first half and did not have a standout center linebacker Fred Warner for the last 8-plus minutes due to an ankle injury.

Their modus operandi is just to find a way to win. On Sunday, that meant collecting points on each of their first four possessions to lead 13-0 early in the second quarter and 16-7 at halftime. They increased the margin to 23-7 late in the third quarter by intercepting Prescott, who finished 23 of 43 for 254 yards with two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and converting the INT into the Samuel score.

Dallas had no answers for Samuel, who calls himself a wide defender — a player listed at wide receiver who also plays running back. He contributed 10 times for 72 yards and a score and had three receptions for 38 yards. His physical presence and ability to gain yards on contact wear out the defense, as does running Elijah Mitchell, who had 96 yards and carries a score on 27. It also allowed coach Kyle Shanahan to limit pass attempts, which was the formula for their Super Bowl run two seasons ago when Jimmy Garoppolo attempted just 27 passes in the two games leading up to the Super Bowl.

Garoppolo nearly matched that Sunday overall, completing 16 of 25 passes for 172 yards with no touchdowns and an interception that set the stage for the endgame dramas. Are giveaway midway through the fourth quarter led to a 5-yard touchdown run by Prescott. But luckily for San Francisco, his defense wouldn’t break the rest of the way.

“I don’t think we would be where we are today if we had an above average defense,” said offensive tackle Trent Williams. “Our defense has to be great to be good, and they’ve been great.”

Greatness is relative, but in this case the unit was good enough to get ahead. The same can’t be said of the Cowboys, who seem to create uncertainty around the franchise in the early hours of the off-season.