The San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals were both victorious in their division bouts when they each moved within a game of the Super Bowl (Godofredo A Vasquez/AP) (AP)
The San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals were both victorious in their divisional bouts and each moved within a game of the Super Bowl.
Seventh-round rookie quarterback Brock Purdy was the man to make it for the 49ers. The last pick of 2022 completed 19 of 29 passes for 214 yards as San Francisco went 19-12 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Purdy’s opponent Dak Prescott had similarly solid numbers in California, as he went for 180 yards on 20 of 31 passes and also scored a touchdown, though his poor decision-making continued.
Prescott posted an undesirable record and continued a streak of 13 picks in his last 9 games to end the season as he became the first Cowboys QB since Troy Aikman in the 1994 NFC Championship game to have two first-half interceptions in one playoff threw.
The win means the 49ers will travel east to Philadelphia, where they will be hosted by the Eagles for Sunday’s NFC Championship game.
The AFC Championship will be contested for the second straight season by the Kansas City Chiefs and the Bengals, who earlier Sunday beat the Buffalo Bills 27-10 in heavy snow in upstate New York.
The home side fell 0-14 in the first quarter and never recovered. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns as his team extended their winning streak to 10.
