Micah Parsons on Cowboys’ matchup with 49ers: ‘I really like being the underdog’

Last year, the San Francisco 49ers knocked the Dallas Cowboys out of the postseason. With a rematch on tap Sunday night, quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are looking to even the score in the Divisional Round.

“Most definitely, I [wanted the rematch],” Prescott said, via the team’s official website. “I think this whole team did. Obviously, using that loss last year as a motivation and just kind of the focal point of the resiliency that we carried into the offseason, [that we] carried into this year.

“Yeah, we get a chance to go back and at their place, do something that we want to do.”

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In last year’s wild-card loss, Dallas fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter, being outgained 110-7 in yards in the opening frame. The Cowboys were down 23-7 entering the fourth quarter before a rally came up short on the infamous designed QB run that left Dallas without a last-second chance, losing 23-17.

“I really think we beat ourselves last year with the penalties, the offsides, things like that,” outside linebacker Micah Parsons said of the loss. “If you just play your game — the biggest misconception is that you have to go out there and be different, that you have to go out there and try to out-physical a team, that you want to play their game.

“Why play their game? Play your game. Let’s play Dallas football. That’s all we got to do.”

Despite another 12-5 regular season record, the Cowboys enter Sunday’s game in Santa Clara as the underdogs against a 13-4 Niners club that has won 11 consecutive games behind a menacing defense and the stellar play of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy down the stretch.

Parsons said being the playoff underdog provides motivation in the rematch.

“Honestly, I think you should feed into it, you should love that stuff,” he said. “When no one believes in you, that’s the best feeling; not when everyone believes in you and the Kool-Aid is up and everyone is smiling like, ‘They can’t lose. They’re too good.’ I don’t want that feeling because then it’s like, damn, what if I don’t win?

“When you’re already at the bottom, you can only go up. I really like being the underdog.”

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