The Pitt alum picked off Dak Prescott to set up the 49ers’ final touchdown, which proved pivotal in a tight game
Pitt alum and San Francisco 49ers defensive back K’Waun Williams saw his first NFL playoff action since 2019 on Sunday, making his fourth career playoff appearance in his team’s 23-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Williams also came up with a big play in the third quarter that set up the 49ers’ final touchdown.
K’Waun Williams will take that ‼️#H2P » @NFL pic.twitter.com/NHcOR3y3kH
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) January 16, 2022
That big play was an interception that came at the expense of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott with about six minutes left in the third quarter. Prescott threw the ball a bit behind Cowboys receiver Cedrick Wilson, and Williams took full advantage of the opportunity, diving to make a play on the ball and coming up with the fifth interception of his career and his first interception in a playoff game.
At the time of Williams’ interception, the 49ers led the Cowboys 16-7. However, with the ball on the Cowboys’ 26-yard line, thanks to Williams, the score would shift in the 49ers’ favor just one play later, as Deebo Samuel ran in a touchdown to make it 23-7. That would be the 49ers’ last score of the game, and it proved pivotal to the outcome, as the Cowboys would tack on 10 points to make the score 23-17.
With all that said, the outing was not a complete success for Williams, as he gave up a touchdown to Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper with about five minutes left on the clock in the second quarter. But all in all, it was a good day for Williams, as he logged two tackles, one quarterback hit and one pass breakup in addition to his interception.
With the win over the Cowboys in the wild-card matchup, Williams and the 49ers will advance to the divisional round of the playoffs, where they will play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. That matchup is set to be played at some point next weekend.