Cowboys vs. 49ers: Updated Odds, Stat Predictions for 2023 NFC Divisional Game

Last year, the San Francisco 49ers ended the Dallas Cowboys' season with a victory in the NFC Wild Card Round. The longtime playoff rivals are now set to face off again this postseason, albeit one round later.

The 49ers will host the Cowboys in an NFC Divisional Round matchup at Levi's Stadium on Sunday, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox. It'll be the ninth time the two teams have met in the playoffs during the Super Bowl era, tied for the most of any matchup.

San Francisco has been on a roll, as it won each of its final 10 games in the regular season. Then, the 49ers opened the postseason with a wild-card round victory vs. the Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, Dallas began its playoff run with a road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here's a look at the latest odds for the 49ers-Cowboys matchup, followed by several stat predictions for Sunday's game.

Updated Odds

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 14: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers looks on prior to the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on January 14, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Spread: 49ers (-4)

Over/Under: 46 total points

Moneyline: Dallas +170 (bet $100 to win $170); San Francisco -200 (bet $200 to win $100)

Via DraftKings Sportsbook

Dallas Unlikely to Get Much Production on Ground

AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) runs near Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end William Gholston (92) during the second half of an NFL wild-card football game, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

The Cowboys' two-headed rushing attack of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott hasn't been having a ton of success of late. And a trip to San Francisco isn't exactly the best thing to get Dallas' ground game back on track.

Pollard hasn't scored a touchdown in any of his past four games, and the 25-year-old had exactly 19 rushing yards in two of those contests. He was better in the Cowboys' wild-card round win over the Bucs, though, rushing for 77 yards on 15 carries.

Elliott has averaged 2.1 yards per carry or worse in each of his past three games and hasn't averaged more than 3.7 yards per attempt in any of his past five contests. The 27-year-old also hasn't gotten into the end zone over the past two weeks.

Now, that duo has to take on the 49ers, who allowed only 77.7 rushing yards per game during the regular season, which ranked second-best in the NFL. San Francisco's defensive front wasn't quite that strong last week, as Seattle had 104 yards on 25 carries.

Still, the 49ers typically don't give up much on the ground, and they should be motivated to bounce back from a performance that wasn't quite up to their standards. And they clearly have the defensive talent to make that happen, especially against a Cowboys rushing attack that has been struggling to get going.

If Dallas wants to keep things close on Sunday, then it will likely need quarterback Dak Prescott to have some success through the air. Otherwise, it could be a challenging all-around day for the Cowboys' offense.

Expect San Francisco's run defense to play up to its potential by keeping both Pollard and Elliott at bay on the ground.

Prediction: Cowboys finish with less than 75 total rushing yards

Purdy Will Continue Streak of Multi-TD Games

AP Photo/Josie Lepe

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL wild card playoff football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

Few could have seen the emergence of Brock Purdy coming during his rookie NFL campaign. With Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo each suffering season-ending injuries, the 49ers had to turn to Purdy, the Iowa State product taken with the 262nd and final pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

Since Purdy has taken over at QB, the 23-year-old has helped San Francisco's offense continue to have success. And he's actually been a big part of it himself.

In each of the six games started by Purdy, he's had multiple touchdown passes. That includes last week's wild-card round win over the Seahawks, as Purdy had four total TDs (three passing and one rushing) in that matchup.

It makes sense that Purdy is having success, especially after spending the early season learning from Garoppolo and getting acclimated to being in the NFL. San Francisco's offense is also loaded with offensive playmakers, including running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell, wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle.

Now, Purdy will look to keep it going against the Cowboys. It should be a good matchup for San Francisco's passing attack, as Dallas' defense just gave up 334 yards through the air in its wild-card round win over Tampa Bay.

Throughout his brief time as a starter, Purdy has proved he has what it takes to lead the 49ers' offense. He should continue to do that on Sunday evening.

The prediction here is that Purdy will again throw for at least two touchdowns, putting up more impressive stats in another strong showing from San Francisco. And there's a good chance that will lead to the 49ers notching a victory and advancing to the NFC Championship Game.

Prediction: Purdy throws for 278 yards and two touchdowns

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