ARLINGTON, Tex. -- As they have so often and in a finish befitting their historic rivalry, the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys battled to the bitter end of Sunday's nostalgic NFC wild-card meeting.
Ultimately, a strong Niners defensive effort combined with myriad Dallas mistakes allowed San Francisco to emerge with a 23-17 victory in the first postseason meeting between the teams since 1995 and the first ever matchup between two franchises with at least five Super Bowl victories apiece.
In the process, the 49ers became the first underdog and road team to win in this postseason.