SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 22, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Fred Warner made sure he got a souvenir from the San Francisco 49ers’ latest playoff victory.
Warner collected one of two interceptions thrown by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on Sunday as San Francisco defeated Dallas 19-12 in an NFL Divisional Round game at Levi’s Stadium.
It was another impressive defensive performance from Warner and his 49ers, who limited the Cowboys to just 12 points and 282 total yards.
Both Dallas turnovers came in the first half, with Warner hauling in a ball tipped by teammate Jimmie Ward in the final two minutes of the second quarter. The All-Pro linebacker’s pick led to a 50-yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould to give the 49ers a 9-6 halftime lead.
“That was huge by Jimmy. It was a big-time play in a big moment,” said Warner, a former defensive star at BYU now in his fifth NFL season. “Jimmy was kind of squatting over there and broke on the ball. It popped up, and he gave me the assist on that one.”
FRED WARNER! @49ers second INT of the half.
📺: #DALvsSF on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/WBXF8YHjXz pic.twitter.com/5aWqysTp1V— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2023
Warner finished with a team-high nine tackles, including seven solo stops and one tackle for a loss, as the 49ers advanced to the NFL title game for the second consecutive season.
Warner was a third-round pick (70th overall) by San Francisco in the 2017 NFL Draft. He played at BYU from 2014 to 2017, leading the Cougars in total tackles in his final two seasons. Warner’s 264 career tackles rank 24th in BYU history.
Dub City!!! pic.twitter.com/Dnt6QXOrZm
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 23, 2023
The 49ers took the lead early in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run from Christian McCaffrey.
A potential game-tying or winning drive by the Cowboys fell short, in part because a 15-yard reception by tight end Dalton Schultz with five seconds left in the game was overturned following a replay review that showed he didn’t have both feet inbounds after making the catch.
Schultz, a former Bingham High School star who played college football at Stanford, finished with five catches for 27 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown to give Dallas its first lead of the game at 6-3.
4️⃣ + 8️⃣6️⃣ = TD! 🙌
Nice work by @dak & @BinghamBaller9!
📺: @NFLonFOX | #DALvsSF pic.twitter.com/PXccVQjjxF
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 23, 2023
The PAT attempt was blocked, continuing the point-after problems for Cowboys kicker Brett Maher, who now has missed five this postseason. He later made two field goals.
It was the seventh consecutive Divisional Round loss for Dallas, which hasn’t made it to the NFC title game since the 1995 season.
All former Utah college or high school football players listed below are on active NFL playoff rosters unless otherwise noted. Players are listed by name, position and former college and/or high school, along with a recap of their performance in the Divisional Round.
Buffalo Bills
- Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State: Finished with six tackles (three solo) and one pass defended as the Bills’ season ended with a 27-10 playoff loss to the Bengals on Sunday in Orchard Park, New York.
Cincinnati Bengals
- Jalen Davis, CB, Utah State: Made one solo tackle as the Bengals advanced to the AFC championship game with a 27-10 victory over the Bills on Sunday. Cincinnati will face Kansas City for the right to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
- Jay Tufele, DT, Bingham: Inactive for the road victory.
Dallas Cowboys
- Simi Fehoko, WR, Brighton: Placed on injured reserve Oct. 15 after injuring his shoulder in practice.
- Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham: Read about his TD-scoring playoff performance in the story above.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: Finished with eight tackles (three solo) and three QB hits in the Jaguars’ 27-20 playoff loss to the Chiefs on Saturday.
Kansas City Chiefs
- Zayne Anderson, CB, BYU/Stansbury: Signed to the practice squad Aug. 31.
- Matt Bushman, TE, BYU: Signed to the practice squad Dec. 20.
- Marcus Kemp, WR, Layton: Signed to the practice squad Oct. 3.
New York Giants
- Terrell Burgess, S, Utah: Signed to the practice squad Nov. 10.
Philadelphia Eagles
- Britain Covey, WR/RS, Utah/Timpview: Active for the Eagles’ 38-7 victory over the Giants on Saturday night.
- Christian Elliss, LB, Judge Memorial: Active as Philadelphia advanced to the NFC title game against San Francisco.
- Noah Togiai, TE, Hunter: Signed to the practice squad Sept. 1.
San Francisco 49ers
- Fred Warner, LB, BYU: Read about his latest postseason performance in the story above.
- Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah: Punted four times for 164 total yards (41 yards per punt), with a long punt of 46 yards and two landing inside the 20-yard line. He also served as the holder on four field goals and one PAT — all successful — in the Divisional Round win.
Positions: Center (C), cornerback (CB), defensive lineman (DL), kicker (K), linebacker (LB), long snapper (LS), offensive lineman (OL), punter (P), quarterback (QB), running back (RB), return specialist (RS), safety (S), tight end (TE), wide receiver (WR).
