After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

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That's better H-E-L-P dot com slash positive. A year ago at this time, following the Sunday of divisional round, I was home. I had to call in sick.

It actually wasn't because I was sick, it was because my dog was in pretty dire straits and had a really rough weekend and I couldn't leave her and had an emergency vet appointment the next morning. So, for that reason, I was unable to be here on a night in which the NFL community and NFL fans were lit. Maybe the best divisional weekend we've ever seen, with the four road teams winning, every game hanging in the balance until the final snap. It's safe to say this weekend was not the same. In terms of the dramatic quality, this weekend was not the same. But, there is so much to talk about from these four games and I have waited a year for this particular show. Really excited to be with you on this Sunday night as we head toward, whew, now championship weekend. Only three games left in the entire NFL season.

Initial reactions? The Bills just keep running into a brick wall. I've talked about this before with the Golden State Warriors and the five consecutive NBA finals they went to, to represent the West. How many other really good teams, even great teams, or they had the opportunity to be great if not for the fact that they played the same time as the Warriors were in their heyday with this particular core. I feel that way about the Bills. And I guess we could say that about the Patriots over the 20 years of their dominance. How many other big time AFC challengers might have emerged? How many other teams might have won Super Bowls, gotten to consecutive championship games, had more opportunities open up if not for the Patriots standing in their way? That's what's happening with the Buffalo Bills.

No, it's definitely on them, right? They've had the opportunity to host. Going back to the championship game against Kansas City three seasons ago, they were so close. But close is not good enough in professional sport. Twice though, eliminated by Casey and now by a red hot, I mean scorching hot Bengals team that may be playing better now than it was a year ago at this time.

And the experience under their belt certainly helps. So think about the Bills. A team with all this potential, one of the best quarterbacks they've ever had in their franchise, obviously has set multiple records. There isn't anything Josh Allen can't do with the football and yet they cannot get to the Super Bowl. At least not yet. Why? Because they've run into Kansas City and Cincinnati.

Man, that's painful. But it's not like they haven't had those chances. But there are three years now in the prime of Josh Allen's career in which they've put pieces around him. They've had an incredible head coach, all the support from new ownership. And yeah, they've broken through their glass ceiling. They've made the playoffs. They've gotten back to the AFC championship after all those years of utility.

But they just haven't been able to break through and take that last gigantic step. And so for the second consecutive January, the Bills are eliminated in the divisional round to a better opponent. As for the Dallas Cowboys, they also, same thing, break through. They win their first playoff road game in 30 years. They have another double figure win season under Mike McCarthy. Their defense is dynamic. And yet their biggest issue is in the major, most important, massive opportunities that offense seems to melt. It's not all on Dak Prescott.

It really isn't. But yes, he's the quarterback. He threw two interceptions.

If I remember correctly, they were both tipped. But there are other reasons that you can point to. The inability to run the ball is a big one. And I feel for Tony Pollard. Not only because he's got the physical pain of the broken leg, but because he worked so hard for this opportunity all year long. He turned himself into the Cowboys' best option offensively. To have that happen, it's brutally painful in every way.

And so I feel for him. So a lot of people pointing to how his particular injury, in which his ankle and his foot were rolled up on by a San Francisco defender, similar to what happened to Patrick Mahomes. Patrick avoided the worst, but of course that's a major question moving forward against Cincinnati.

His mobility is sure to be limited if he plays. The defensive performances we saw this weekend, wow. Defense wins championships.

You know that, right? In fact, we're going to take, I'm thinking, several segments just to talk about the defenses that we saw this weekend. The way that the Niners played, well you can expect that. They are brash and bold and total badasses. They're brash and bold and Bose's badasses. And we knew they were going to be stymieing, smothering.

That's not a surprise. But how about the way the Bengals defense played? In the snow against Josh Allen and what is typically a very strong offensive line for the Bills. Instead it was the Bengals who were pushing people around. The Bengals O-line missing three starters and yet winning those individual battles along the line. Along that line of scrimmage where so much of the work is done.

In the snow, no less. The Philadelphia Eagles put on the most dominant performance of the weekend. It was really good to see Jalen Hurts not having missed a beat. So we saw a watered down, a vanilla offensive game plan going back to week 18 against the Giants. Knowing there was a real good chance they could end up facing this team again. It made sense for Nick Sirianni and his offensive coaching staff. The Giants may be reverting back to their form a little bit. Over the course of what was that stretch where they could only win one game. But really this is more about Philadelphia making the Giants look like they are a wild card team.

And not a team that won the division or was the top seed. There's a major disparity between those two teams. So there are a lot of questions to be asked.

Some to be answered, some not so much. But we are one gigantic step closer to finding out our Super Bowl matchup. Down to the final four in the NFL. Good divisional weekend, I hope you enjoyed it. Oh my goodness, so jealous of that snow in Orchard Park.

So jealous of the snow in Western New York. Amazing. You can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio. Also on our Facebook page, After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Love to hear from you about these games, your reaction. I did put a post up on Twitter.

I'll put one up on Facebook when I have an opportunity. But yeah, so many sequences and performances to break down and lift up, baby. If you're wondering about the schedule for next weekend, pretty standard. Oh my gosh, there's only two games, no Saturday football. For the first time in a long time, no Saturday football. Sorry, not sorry. My goodness, football's dominating my life. I hope it's doing the same thing for you.

Just kidding, I hope it's not actually. I had a conversation with a friend this week. She also works in the business, in the sports broadcasting business. And she and I are having similar conversations with family and friends about, do you have to watch these games? Can you maybe just watch one of them? No, that's not how it works this time of the year.

No answering phone calls, no responding to text messages. It's football season, SZN. My goodness, for a while between the Cowboys and the Niners, it was field goal season.

We're going to head to the Bay Area at the top of next hour. A lot of star power, a lot of celebrities on hand at Levi's Stadium. But at least initially what they saw was a struggle for yards. Every single yard, every single snap contested, challenged.

Man, think about the bruises, black and blue, these guys are going to have as they recover over the next couple of days. And really it's not a long time for the Niners to recover because they've got to hit the East Coast to take on Philadelphia. Though again, no more Saturday football, only Sunday. So the early game is Niners in Philadelphia, Niners Eagles, the top two seeds in the NFC. In the AFC, it's three versus one. And sure, you could say the Bengals have had the Chiefs' number. I don't think that matters when you're moving forward into a new playoff game. But the Bengals right now are riding a franchise-record 10-game win streak. And they certainly are, along with San Francisco, one of the hottest teams we've seen this year. And that even goes back to Philadelphia when they were stringing all their wins together. It's lightning right now for the Bengals.

Lightning and thunder, I guess, you'd go both sides of the ball. So the Chiefs will host the AFC Championship. It will not be at a neutral site. The Chiefs will host the Bengals at 5.30 Central Time, 6.30 Eastern Time. So it is a doubleheader, similar to what we had today, same start times. And the same two top seeds hosting.

That's why the buy is so important. It's one game, one win, and you get to host the championship game. So I want to dive in with this Niners-Cowboys game and all the attention on it. I wonder, and I really pay much attention to it, but I wonder how many people expected this to be a game in which there were a lot more points. I wouldn't say an offensive juggernaut. There were a lot of people expecting that probably between the Bengals and the Bills. The snow kind of changed that. The Bengals defense changed that. This game was bound to be strength.

It was bound to be one in which the yards were so difficult to come by. And I like it that way because it left no margin for error. It really didn't.

Everything was so tight. Even if you believe the Niners were a much better team coming in, and certainly riding their long win streak, you could say that. But because the two defenses are so good, it meant that these offenses really could not make major mistakes.

And we know that's not what happened. The first big mistake for the Cowboys, even after they get their touchdown from Dak to Dalton Schultz in the second quarter, there's a block point after attempt. And so instead of being up 7-3, because the Niners had an early field goal, instead of being up 7-3, they were only up 6-3. And then you see, field goal ties it, touchdown puts the Niners up by 4.

It was an opportunity that they missed. And then, later in that first half, again, defense is still the story. Neither team at 150 yards or 10 points in the first half. You cannot give extra opportunities to your opponent. Not only does it stymie and snuff out your own drive, but it also gives the ball right back to a team that has been rocking really offensively in the last few weeks.

3 are left, 2 are right. Here's Prescott back, has time, throws out left, intercepted! Ball got tipped up and taken by Fred Warner! Jimmy Ward tipped the ball, and Fred Warner with the INT!

Big city, baby! Greg Papa and Tim Ryan on Niners Radio. Dak Prescott with a pair of interceptions, both of them lead to Niners field goals. But the one that hurt the most, the one that was, I think, palpable, a turning point, if you will, the interception right before half. And so, the Cowboys are driving, they're into the red zone, and Dak Prescott has a ball that's tipped.

It's intended for C.D. Lamb, Fred Warner, great play, right play, right time. That one was like taking all the Cowboys' momentum, again, they're into the red zone, and at this point they're tied 6-6.

Slammed it right into a brick wall. I can almost feel my head hurt for Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott and the Cowboys, but man, what a play for Fred Warner. He was everywhere on the field just a few hours ago.

I hope he gets a great night's sleep because he definitely earned it. So yeah, that second pick in the red zone with under 90 seconds left, it really killed the momentum, changed everything for the Cowboys going into their locker room, even if they hadn't been able to get into the end zone. It's clear that Brett Maher is not yipping on field goal tries, only extra points. And so, they would have had the lead. If nothing else, they have the lead.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Also, really changing the mood in the locker room is that Tony Pollard was carted off, and by that point everyone in the locker room knows he's not returning. And it definitely changed what they could do offensively. Instead of having the one-two punch, and Pollard had become the feature back for the Cowboys, not Zeke. We just talked to John Machoda, a Cowboys insider for the athletic, a few days ago, and I asked him about Zeke's role. Because Pollard is such a versatile back, and he's had such a great season, where Zeke was really relegated to more of those kind of goal line situations or needing one yard. Pollard had taken over that position and made it his own.

And so, to lose him was huge. And we found out, to start the third quarter, we found out that he would not return. Dallas starts out the second half, though, with an opportunity to make good. Recovering a muffed punt by the Niners, Ray Ray McLeod coughs it up and really wasn't even knocked away. He just kind of lost the handle. But this is not the same offense from the wild card game.

Didn't have the same bite, didn't have the same teeth. Instead, and this is really the theme for the Niners as well, not just the Cowboys. Instead, they had to trot their kicker out there again. 25-yard try from the 15-yard line on the left hash to tie the game. And the operation's good, and the kick is up, and the kick is good, I'm telling you. It's only the extra points that give him trouble.

Hey, I just said that. 9.08 left in the third quarter, and the game is tied 9-9. Brad Sham on Cowboys Radio, yes, Maher magic, baby.

Boom! Oh, my goodness. After his blocked extra point, which, as Greg Olson pointed out on the Fox broadcast, did not look like it was headed for the right space between the uprights anyway. It might have saved him by having it blocked because it was probably going to be just a sixth consecutive ugly miss, or I guess a fifth, whatever, who's counting now? He probably is. A fifth consecutive ugly miss.

They're able to get that field goal from him, but when he lines up for that extra point, it gets blocked. I'm thinking, I'm not looking, I can't watch the next one. This is like watching a train wreck. I don't even want to see this.

This is so bad. And the look of shock on his face, too. Like he expects it. It's like Happy Gilmore with the punting. I mean the punting. The putting. Or, you guys know Tin Cup?

My gosh, it was Tin Cup. Little block, got the yips, into the water. All right, so we're kind of running late here because I was talking, that's what I do. So we'll take a break and we'll get to the later stages of the game, but mostly the reaction. The turning point. You know what? There we go.

There's your teeth. The turning point of this game, because they get that field goal, they're tied at nine early in that third quarter. What changed after that? Well, one major highlight reel moment that football fans should not forget. And all the reaction.

You can find me on Twitter, ALawRadio, our Facebook page, too. We're down to the final four and just Goalie gummies get you so close to your goals, you can actually taste them. The trick, simply start with bite-sized steps, like Goalie's apple cider vinegar gummies with added B vitamins for daily health, or Goalie ashwagandha gummies to help you relax, restore and unwind. Tastes like wellness just got a whole lot better. And when goals taste this good, it's easy to achieve them. Goalie, taste your goals.

Learn more at Goalie.com today. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself. Because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month.

That's BetterHELP.com slash positive. Goalie gummies get you so close to your goals, you can actually taste them. The trick? Simply start with bite-sized steps, like Goalie's apple cider vinegar gummies with added B vitamins for daily health, or Goalie ashwagandha gummies to help you relax, restore and unwind. Tastes like wellness just got a whole lot better. And when goals taste this good, it's easy to achieve them. Goalie, taste your goals.

Learn more at Goalie.com today. With classes in crisis communication, influence and data presentation, Gonzaga University's online masters in communication and leadership equips you with the tools you need to communicate clearly and encourage creativity in any industry. Concentrations in digital media, strategic communication and global leadership allow you to customize your degree. Visit Gonzaga.edu slash communication and learn why a master's degree from Gonzaga can help you take your career to the next level. That's Gonzaga.edu slash communication.

Three more games. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Now they got Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on the same side over McGlinchey, gonna roll Purdie the opposite way going left Purdie time going to throw back right and it is juggled and George Kittle makes the catch to midfield, what a catch by George Kittle and the throwback there from Brock Purdie bobbled it a couple of times, but was able to reel it in.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You're going to see it over and over on Monday. In fact, you're going to see it all the way through the week. Heck, you might see it all the way through the Super Bowl into the offseason if the Niners are able to complete their mission. The call with Greg, Papa and Tim Ryan on Niners Radio late third quarter.

This is the turning point. Only one touchdown drive in the second half, exactly 519 to go in the third quarter. This is the crazy part about the connection between Brock Purdie and George Kittle. It wasn't the first option, it wasn't the second option, it actually wasn't even the third option according to Purdie and Kittle and Kyle Shanahan. This is super cool because how often do we talk about young quarterbacks having to go through their reads and their progressions and maybe not having enough time or maybe not having the poise and the calm to let a play develop and to see what happens. And very often, we'll see something like this between, say, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, where the reads and the options are not available. And so what does Kelce do?

He finds an open space. It's a lot like a power forward in basketball. Always taught. When your point guard needs you, find an open spot. Make yourself available.

Make yourself a big target. So George Kittle, who is definitely a big target, gets on the move. Kind of saw him earlier in the play when they highlighted him. He wasn't even running a route.

He wasn't part of the play, other than to be a decoy. And so he's kind of languishing in the middle and all of a sudden realizes his quarterback has got no place to go, finds an open spot, gets into, I wouldn't say high gear, gets into medium gear, waves, gets his hand out there, gives Brock Purdy a target, and voila. Now they got Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence on the same side over McGlinchey, going to roll Purdy the opposite way, going left, Purdy, time, going to throw back right, and it is juggled and George Kittle makes the catch to midfield. What a catch by George Kittle on the throwback there from Brock Purdy, bobbled it a couple of times, but was able to reel it in.

It was a bootleg. Me and Juice are on the backside, selling the outside zone away to get the defense men to cross our face. Juice is the hot guy. We're trying to get the ball to either Iyuk, Deebo, or Juice. He's a hot guy. I'm literally not even in the read, so I just saw kind of a space and he hadn't thrown it yet, so I was just going up the field and he gave me a catchable ball and I was just trying to be dramatic. Just for TV, man.

What about radio? It's just for TV. We're trying to be a little dramatic, get the ratings up, that's all we're here for. That part of the game, we needed something. We needed a spark, get the ball rolling, and for Kittle to make a play like that, you just feel it in the whole stadium like, man, that felt good to get a big gain like that and get us going. So, props to Kittle. He was one of our last options in that play, but he kept the play alive by feeling space and I got my eyes back and he was there, so it was awesome. I love that. It's not typically a connection you'll see between a rookie quarterback or any new quarterback, new-ish quarterback, and a receiver.

A lot of times it takes years, how about just a year, to be able to establish that type of communication, understanding, even the non-verbal, to know your quarterback needs you. George Kittle, that was brilliant. And the catch was A-plus as well.

One-handed, bobbles it up in the air, off his face mask, back into his hands, and then again juggling a few more steps before he hauls it in for 30 yards. That was your turning point. Niners, Cowboys, third quarter, five minutes to go. Just after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio, Kyle Shanahan talked about how the result of that catch was a major spark.

Oh, and yes it was. The march continued. Now, remember, they had started inside their own 10-yard line, but they go 91 yards in the 10 plays and it takes six minutes off the clock before CMC does his thing. Tenth play of the drive, six runs, three passes, two holes for Dallas, as you noted, and here we go. Looking to get in the end zone for the first time today and take the lead back. Oscar, Oscar, Oscar McCaffrey goes left, Evo goes in motion, right, Purdy out of the shotgun, Kittle and Juszczek are right, Ayut the other side, handoff McCaffrey, touchdown San Francisco. Man that drive, not only is it notable for what Kittle was able to do down the middle of the field, but how about the toughness in the trenches. Kyle Juszczek battered guys to pick up, I think, six, seven yards before that Christian McCaffrey touchdown.

These guys, I'm telling you, black and blue, and yet they did not falter. They were just as tough on the offensive side of the ball as the Niners defense was in breaking down the Cowboys offensive opportunities. At that point with the PAT, because you know, for some teams those are automatic, it was only 16 to nine, 16 to nine classic in what was this ninth edition of Niners and Cowboys in the postseason.

Of course, the eighth edition was last year. Dallas only manages a field goal the rest of the way, see, maher magic, I'm telling you. But the Niners get those points right back, well, right back, after an eight minute drive. San Francisco eats up eight minutes in order to get the matching field goal, preserve that seven point advantage. And ultimately the story of this game, I think it's fitting that it ends this way and that the Cowboys light was snuffed out by a defensive effort that we knew the Niners were capable of. Just amazing to watch. There's a quick snap to Jack Prescott on third down, steps up in the pocket, gets out left.

He gets tackled from behind the forty nine. This show is sponsored by better help. When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself. Because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. Better help is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit better help dot com slash positive to get 10 percent off your first month.

That's better HELP dot com slash positive. Goalie gummies get you so close to your goals, you can actually taste them. The trick? Simply start with bite sized steps like goalies, apple cider vinegar gummies with added B vitamins for daily health or goalie ashwagandha gummies to help you relax, restore and unwind. Tastes like wellness just got a whole lot better. And when goals taste this good, it's easy to achieve them. Goalie taste your goals. Learn more at goalie dot com today. Goalie gummies get you so close to your goals, you can actually taste them. The trick? Simply start with bite sized steps like goalies, apple cider vinegar gummies with added B vitamins for daily health or goalie ashwagandha gummies to help you relax, restore and unwind.

Tastes like wellness just got a whole lot better. And when goals taste this good, it's easy to achieve them. Goalie taste your goals. Learn more at goalie dot com today. There's Nick Bosa, Samson Ebb and the Cowboys go three and out and they've got to put the ball back with 235 to play.

And the clock is rolling here. Ezekiel Elliott is going to play center. I think I saw Kellen Moore do this at Boise State about 15 years ago. He's ineligible though.

Why would they leave the ownership to do that? He steps it back to Dak Prescott. He throws over the middle to Turpin. He gets hammered down by Jimmy Ward. The game is over. The 49ers are on their way to Philadelphia.

What a way to end it. Ezekiel Elliott just got destroyed by Aziz Alsayer right on his head. And then Jimmy Ward sawed it down right away on Turpin. The offense being able to make some third downs, I don't think in the first half we had one first down running the ball. I think they were all throwing the ball and I think that changed big in the second half. So we still got it going a little bit, wore them down a little bit and winning the turnover battle was everything after that. We had a lot of respect for that team, all three of their phases, but we knew how good their defense was too. And we felt we really had to run the ball just to negate their pass rush because of how special of a pass rush they have. And for us to end up getting over 30 carries when you're only averaging like three, I think we had three five, just shows how good the team was doing. Credit to the coaching staff and getting us right all week, defense, offense, special teams, everyone just playing.

It takes everybody, not just one person or a couple of guys, it literally takes everybody. So I'm just so proud of the team and playoff football is not easy. So to go and to pull off a win like that against a great team like Dallas and now going to the NSC championship, it means a lot to us.

And for myself, when I take a step back, it's pretty cool. Brock Purdy, the rookie quarterback who now gets an opportunity to play on the NFC championship stage on the road in Philadelphia. We have talked plenty about the hostile environment in Philly. It'll be just as hostile for the Niners, even though there's not the divisional rivalry, but we saw it in full effect on Saturday night against the Giants. The Niners defense travels though, and that's one reason that you can't really know how this game is going to go because as I said earlier, Cowboys Niners, so little margin for error, Dak's interceptions, well, and the turnover by the Niners as well. But those interceptions, they were so critical, even though the Niners were only able to get three points after each one. You can't afford to give up six points in a game this tight. The Eagles defense, the Niners defense, it's going to be same thing, knock down, drag out with very little margin for error. So one versus two in the NFC championship, Cowboys on the outside looking in, a lot of people pinning this one on Dak Prescott. What did Mike McCarthy have to say? I guess the trade off is that there aren't people calling for Mike McCarthy's job, at least not that I've heard yet, of course, just give it some time.

It's only been a couple hours. Jerry Jones weighs in and Dak himself on Twitter, ALawRadio, on our Facebook page, After Hours with Amy Lawrence, it'll be good to hear from you. Final four, we started week one in September with infinite possibilities, and now we're down to just four. I think I saw Kellen Moore do this at Boise State about 15 years ago. He's ineligible though.

Why would they leave the ownership to do that? He snaps it back to Dak Prescott. He throws over the middle of the turpin. He gets hammered down by Jimmy Ward. The game is over. The 49ers are on their way to Philadelphia.

What a way to end it. Ezekiel Elliott just got destroyed by Aziz Alshair right on his head, and then Jimmy Ward sawed it down right away on turpin. Off the field, on the money, and after hours, it's time to talk football with Amy Lawrence. A stifling defense, a frustrating defense. The type of defense that makes you angry and combustible. It's one in which you have very little margin for error, and this is with the Dallas defense playing just as well.

Shouldn't be overlooked. They kept the Cowboys in the game until the very end, despite two takeaways for the Niners. One of them you hear with Fred Warner, late second quarter, that was a momentum killer.

That was the kind that knocks your, knocks your teeth in, takes your breath away. The Cowboys desperately needed that and thought they'd have all the momentum going into the halftime locker room if they could have scored on that play. Greg Papa and Tim Ryan on Niners radio. Top of the hour, we're going to head to the Bay Area. Niners fangirl Tracy Sandler will join us. She was at the game. The Niners have really won these two playoff games in completely different styles, and yet that is a sign of a strong team. The Dallas Cowboys, once again, fall short of the NFC championship.

Haven't been there in 27 years. We heard that number over and over and over again. So how could they have changed the outcome? What could they have done differently? Defensively, you know, we did a really good job, you know, for the most part, but yeah, we'd like to have a couple more stops. Yes. We need more third down conversions on offense.

Yes. We could have used that to obviously just extremely disappointed. You know, this has been an incredible journey, you know, with this group of men and we just, we came up short tonight to a very good football team. And I've got to play better than I did tonight. Simple as that.

Yeah. I mean, all I can think about is right now in this game and how disappointed it is, how disappointed I am in my play, how disappointed I am for the guys in the locker room who played their asses off and we weren't able to get it done. Dak Prescott, once again, taking responsibility. That's never the problem with him. It's not that he isn't accountable. It's not that he doesn't recognize the mistakes that he made. He always says the right thing about, this is on me.

I can't make those kinds of mistakes. But he does. I thought it was interesting to hear from one Cowboys, I would say, analyst, radio host who made the point that he loves Dak. He doesn't want Dak to get replaced.

I'll see if I can find the tweet to read it verbatim. But Dak is not an elite quarterback. He's not a Patrick Mahomes.

He's not a Joe Burrow. There's only a handful of those elite QBs. And that's not Dak. And I think that's something that's fairly acceptable. Do I think Dak is a below average quarterback?

No. But there are times, of course, this year specifically where the turnovers really kill. And it wasn't so much the points they gave up. It was the opportunities wasted. But it wasn't just the turnovers. The Cowboys were only 5 of 15 on third down. The run game sorely crippled when they lost Tony Pollard. And it's unfortunate because they used to have a 1-2 punch that was equal with Ezekiel Elliott.

But that's not the case anymore. It's tough to ever see one of your guys go down. Never want to see that.

T.P. had such a great year. He's been so important for us this year. I mean, we went down to go all our pony plays out of there. That's when me and him were on the field at the same time.

Ball distribution, focal points that you're trying to hit. So I mean, definitely Tony's one of the top, or maybe the top, you know, ball person that you want the guy, you want it in his hands. So yeah, that was definitely a shot for us. It was starting with the Niners defense, powerful and strong and tenacious and brash and bold.

And Nick Bosa, he paid the physical price, completely spent when this game was done. I played my heart out tonight and I think I did a good job. I mean, I'm always happy after a playoff win, but I feel like I did a good part in the win today. So the sacks are, they happen and they don't happen.

They come in bunches though. So we'll see. We're the best team, best defense I feel in the NFL. We've been that way since week one. Our physicality, each level, everybody will hit you.

Everybody swarmed to the ball. We caused turnovers and I think we got the most picks in the league too, right? Yeah.

So, yeah, we the best in the league. De'Amador Lenoir had that first quarter interception off Dak Prescott. Both of them were killer. Really it wasn't the points.

Again, it was about losing the opportunities and very little margin for error. Now, what about Dak Prescott? Is there any chance that Mike McCarthy becomes the fall guy for this loss in the divisional round?

We'll answer those questions as we head through this edition of After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio, but the Niners head to Philadelphia after the Eagles manhandled the New York Giants. First and goal at the two. High snap.

Give goes to Boston Scott. He pushes forward. He's in for the touchdown. The giant killer has another one. He just runs under everybody.

He's powerful. He's low to the ground and he has the moves to get the ball into the end zone. It's just a three-yard run, but it's a fantastic three-yard run.

Hurts again in the gun. Three receivers to the near side. One to the far side. Ball at the five-yard line.

Goes into a long count. Hurts is back. He's going to go with the draw. He's going to run.

He's going to score. Jalen Hurts. He's healthy.

The dash up the middle and they took a look. He's healthy. That's Merrill Reese and company on the Eagles radio network. Yes, this was a total bloodbath. When you've got NFL network hosts tweeting something along the lines of, well, what else can we talk about? And the first half is not even over. This was not the Giants' best selves, let's be fair. But it was the Eagles' complete performance on both sides of the ball that overwhelmed New York. Four touchdown drives in the first half for a 28-0 lead.

And some other gaudy numbers for Philadelphia. Forty-three plays to just 19 for the Giants in the first half. 258 yards to just 64. In fact, the Eagles had almost triple the number of rushing yards in the first half that the Giants had total yards. Eagles go four for four in the red zone in this game, or I guess in that first half. Six for seven on third down. Meanwhile, New York had a single first down.

It couldn't have been more lopsided. It's safe to say that Jalen Hurts is back to his old self. Very important for us to come out and start fast. And I think as a football team, we just came out, we played a lot of energy.

We prepared really well throughout the week. And you always talk about challenging everybody to play their best ball, right? Because I truly never put a limit on myself, and I never put a limit on what this team can do.

So there's always more out there for us to get. You kind of pay attention to the morale and the body language of the team, the whole team, when they're out there on the field. Not to say they gave up, but anytime you go up 28 or 21-0 on a team, it's definitely going to be hard to fight out of that hole. And you kind of sense that from, and on our end, we just wanted to make sure that we came out of halftime and we started strong.

So we didn't give them any kind of momentum. Jalen Hurts, 16 for 24 with a couple of touchdowns through the air, one on the ground. The team has a hole rush for 268 yards. Now I'm fairly confident that's not the type of production that they will get versus the Niners defense, but three rushing touchdowns. And then you hear James Bradbury talk about how the Giants were frustrated.

The cornerback, he's recognizing that the Giants on the other side of the ball realize that their options are limited and yeah, jumping out to a big lead, similar to what the Bengals did to the Bills. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com slash positive. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

When you're at your best, you can do great things. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of yourself because when you feel empowered, you're more ready for life's challenges. BetterHelp is a great therapy option. It's flexible, affordable, entirely online, and it matches you with a licensed therapist. Let therapy help empower you. Visit betterhelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month.

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