In what may be a coin-flip game, getting more than a field goal with the Cowboys offers significant value. While the 49ers have been dominant of late, they have avoided the best teams in the NFC playing only two conference playoff teams all season (Seattle and Tampa Bay, not exactly top competition). Dallas, meanwhile, has been battle tested. It also has a more veteran QB in Dak Prescott, who was firing on all cylinders last week. It will be key for Dak to submit a clean sheet and not give San Francisco extra opportunities. Meanwhile, the 49ers will be starting seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy, who has played incredibly well but has yet to face pressure like the kind he will be under Sunday night. What give me some pause is San Francisco’s extra rest, preparation time and coaching advantage. But that can only make up for so much on the field. (Despite the quality defenses in this matchup, I also like a couple bucks on the over at 46.5.)

Brock Purdy has played better than anyone could've expected so far, but exactly how much faith should we put in a 7th round rookie in the divisional round? The 49ers may have the better team overall, but Purdy hasn't faced much in the way of opposing defenses, and it wouldn't be surprising if the week he falls back to earth comes amid the pressure of the playoffs against the NFL's No. 2 defense. And even if he doesn't, the Cowboys -- who aside from a Week 18 stinker have lost two games in regulation all season -- have enough offense to keep it close. Grab the points.

I don't wish ill on any NFL player (well other than former Packer Charles Martin for ruining the potential dynasty of the mid-1980s Bears for his cheap hit on Jim McMahon), but don't we almost want to see Brett Maher miss the first PAT try for Dallas? Hey, I don't feel sorry for that dude, he makes about a million bucks. Obviously, kicker concerns in a potential close game -- it also will be a bit windy -- aren't good for Cowboys backers. No doubt Dallas playing its best could win here, but the rest advantage is so tilted in the Niners' favor we have to back them at home.

Could this be Pollard's final game in a Cowboys uniform? He is set for free agency, and the Cowboys can't pay both him and Zeke Elliott big money -- they might cut Elliott lose and re-sign Pollard because frankly he's the better player now and it's not particularly close. I don't think Dallas will be able to run all that well tonight, so Pollard should get plenty of pass targets. Throw out the meaningless Week 18 game at Washington and Pollard topped this yardage in his final three regular-season games. I am pondering over 2.5 catches, too, but obviously he could top the yardage on one play.

We have 16 mile-per-hour winds in Santa Clara as the Cowboys and 49ers resume their classic playoff rivalry. Dallas QB Dak Prescott played the game of his life last week after a tough loss at Washington and the 49ers have won 11 straight. San Francisco rookie QB Brock Purdy has been impressive since taking over the starting job and the team has the No. 1 defense in the NFL. The Cowboys are 0-4 against the spread after covering in their previous game. Look for the 49ers to cover.

Let's peek into the playbooks. Both offenses figure to think run-first, and the resulting running clock should shorten the game a bit. The 49ers top the league for points allowed per game (16.3), with Dallas tied for fifth (20.1). Nobody is better than the Cowboys at pressuring the QB, and they rank second in sacks per passer dropback. San Fran's Brock Purdy at times might finally look like the rookie he is. Dallas' offense is missing a cornerstone -- OT Jason Peters (hip). The Niners recorded plenty of Overs during the season, but they tend to stay Under in the playoffs.

Our SportslineAI is predicting 69.2 yards for Christian McCaffrey. Believe it or not, Dallas’ run defense isn’t as good as you think. Out of the teams remaining, only the Bengals and Giants allowed more rushing yards this season than the Cowboys, who ranked 22nd in rushing yards allowed. The Cowboys have a great pass rush, but you can nullify that if you simply run the ball. As for trends with CMC, he went over this number in four out of his last seven games, and all four were over 100 yards.

This is a modest total for Prescott to hit the over on. He played 12 games during the regular season, throwing for at least 251 yards in seven of them. That included at least 256 passing yards in four of his final five games. Last week against the Buccaneers, he finished with 305 passing yards. The 49ers have been stout against the run, but they were middle of the pack in terms of passing yards allowed per game in the league. Add in the potential for the Cowboys needing to throw more to play catchup late in the game and the over here is appealing.

The path to beating the 49ers is through the passing game as they are excellent against the run but allow a ton of explosive plays via the pass. Dak Prescott has exceeded this passing yardage total in eight of his last 10 games. Add the fact that the Cowboys are likely going to be in a negative game script (or at worst, a neutral game script), and you have a nice recipe for the Over.

The Cowboys erased their end-of-season stinker with a dominant win over the Bucs, and that Commanders loss is their only one in regulation since Week 6. But the Bucs are just 26th in interception rate where the 49ers are third, so it's possible the shaky play we saw from Dak Prescott down the stretch returns in this matchup. The 49ers are second in yards per rush, which should put Prescott in some tough third-down situations. On the other side of the ball, the 49ers will likely have success running the ball against the Dallas front, and their talented O-line should help keep pressure off Brock Purdy. With the coaching edge and the better chance of executing their offensive gameplan, the 49ers should be able to win and cover here.

The Cowboys looked like Super Bowl contenders Monday night, but that was against a sub-.500 team that can't run the ball. San Francisco's elite ground game should have success versus Dallas' middle-of-the-pack rush defense (4.4 ypc). That will ease pressure on rookie Brock Purdy. The 49ers' offensive line, along with Kyle Shanahan's blocking schemes, will prevent Micah Parsons from wrecking the gameplan, as he did in getting nine pressures and two tackles for loss vs. Tampa Bay. Dak Prescott was super-sharp Monday night, but if he's playing from behind Sunday, he's likely to make a couple key mistakes against a 49ers team that tied for the NFL lead with 20 interceptions.