The 2023 NFL divisional playoffs culminate with a matchup between two of the league’s marquee franchises. The Dallas Cowboys visit the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in a game that is almost sure to draw the weekend’s biggest TV ratings.
The Cowboys and 49ers have a game time of 6:30 p.m. ET. Fox will broadcast the playoff game on TV, and a live stream will be available for viewers to watch on FoxSports.com or with the Fox Sports app.
Sunday’s game in San Francisco is a rematch from last year’s playoffs in the divisional round. The Cowboys were the home team against the 49ers on Wild-Card Weekend 2022. Dallas lost 23-17, and Dak Prescott infamously ran a quarterback draw on the game’s final play before time expired.
An average of 41.5 million viewers watched the 49ers beat the Cowboys in the Sunday late-afternoon window one year ago. With even more on the line in their 2023 matchup, the divisional playoff game could draw even better ratings.
The playoff history between the Cowboys and 49ers extends well beyond 2022. The teams have met in the postseason on eight separate occasions. Dallas holds a 5-3 advantage in the rivalry, which peaked during the 1990s.
From 1993-1995, every NFC Championship Game featured the Cowboys and 49ers. Dallas won the first two meetings, beating San Francisco by double digits in each game before winning the Super Bowl. The 49ers stopped the Cowboys’ bid for a three-peat. Steve Young went on to win his first and only Super Bowl as San Francisco’s starting quarterback..
The rivals nearly met for a fourth straight NFC Championship Game, but the 49ers lost in the divisional playoffs. Dallas went on to win its third Super Bowl title in four years.
Since their back-to-back championships in the mid-90s, neither Dallas nor San Francisco has won another Super Bowl. The 49ers have made a couple of Super Bowl appearances but come up short in the big game. The Cowboys haven’t even reached the NFC Championship Game in 27 years.
Sunday’s winner will only be two victories away from ending its championship drought.
Both teams were dominant in the wild-card round. The 49ers extended their winning streak to 11 games, beating the Seattle Seahawks 41-23. After a shaky start to his playoff debut, Brock Purdy finished with four touchdowns, 332 passing yards and a 131.5 passer rating.
In the Cowboys’ 31-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dak Prescott completed more than 75% of his passes for 305 yards and four scores.
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