As Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys prepare for their "Sunday Night Football" meeting with the 49ers, the 30-year-old quarterback is using past matchups with their longtime rivals as a little motivation.
The last time these two teams met, the 49ers secured a 19-12 win over the Cowboys in the divisional round of the playoffs last season. It was the second year running that Dallas fell on the postseason stage against San Francisco.
Prescott knows he has to play better in Sunday night's showdown and admitted that he wasn't his best in Dallas' last two playoff appearances (h/t The Dallas Morning News).
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"When you go back and you turn on the tape, I wasn't my best in either of those games," Prescott told reporters Friday. "And when close to it, the last one, [we were] two, three plays away from winning that game and that game being a different score."
In last season's playoff loss to the 49ers, Prescott completed 23 of 37 passes with one touchdown and two first-half interceptions. The Cowboys offense had six possessions in the second half, scoring just six points and punting three times.
Prescott pointed to turnovers as one of the biggest faults for the losses, and said taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers is crucial against a defense like San Francisco's.
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco defensive coordinator Steve Wilks looked back at past film, too.
“It's always useful. I can't even tell you all the kind of games we go back and watch and try to find this and that," Wilks said Thursday. "And, ‘Are they consistent? Is this what they've changed?’ So, yes, I've watched that. We've all watched it.”
It's not a playoff game, but Prescott acknowledged the significance of Sunday and said it "means more than just one game" given the storied history between the two franchises.
Nonetheless, Prescott is "excited as hell" for the matchup and looking forward to getting a little revenge on the team that ended their season last year.
Meanwhile, for the 49ers, they'll look to improve their flawless record to 5-0.
Programming note
NBC Bay Area and NBC Sports Bay Area have 49ers fans covered with complete coverage of the big “Sunday Night Football” game against the Cowboys, live from Levi’s Stadium.
3 p.m.: NBC Bay Area News
4 p.m.: “49ers Pregame Live” on NBC Sports Bay Area; “Football Night in America” on NBC Bay Area
5:15 p.m.: 49ers vs. Cowboys on NBC Bay Area
Immediately after the game: “49ers Pregame Live” on NBC Sports Bay Area; Sports Sunday, presented by Xfinity, on NBC Bay Area