The San Francisco 49ers returned to the NFC Championship Game for the third time in four seasons by beating the Dallas Cowboys 19-12 on Sunday.

The 49ers will carry a 12-game winning streak into the Super Bowl LVII semifinals against the Philadelphia Eagles, with the past seven victories coming with seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy at quarterback.

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San Francisco scored only one touchdown against Dallas. But Christian McCaffrey’s 2-yard scoring run on the first snap of the fourth quarter capped a 10-play, 91-yard drive and broke a 9-9 tie. A juggling catch for a 30-yard gain by tight end George Kittle triggered the touchdown march, and Dallas extended it with a defensive-holding penalty on a third-down sack – the Cowboys’ third penalty on the series.

The teams traded field goals on the next two possessions. Dallas had the football twice more trailing by seven, but the Cowboys didn’t get past their 32-yard line against the NFL’s No. 1 defense.

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott completed 23-of-37 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Both interceptions led to first-half field goals for the 49ers, who held a 9-6 halftime lead and came out of fumbling away a punt return at their 21-yard line in the third quarter with a tie score.

Purdy completed 19-of-29 passes for 214 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had 10 receptions for 117 yards for the Cowboys, and Kittle had five receptions for 95 yards for the 49ers.

Four players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the Dallas-San Francisco game:

· Trevon Diggs (Alabama) started at cornerback for the Cowboys. Diggs made four tackles.

· Forty-Niners cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins (North Alabama) played but did not record any stats. San Francisco elevated Jenkins from its practice squad to make him eligible to play.

· Forty-Niners tight end Jordan Matthews (Madison Academy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.

· Cowboys defensive tackle Anthony Rush (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.

· Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (McGill-Toolen, South Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.

· Jimmie Ward (Davidson) started at right cornerback for the 49ers. Ward made six tackles, recorded a tackle for loss and broke up two passes. One of the passes that Ward broke up landed in the hands of Fred Warner, and the San Francisco linebacker returned the interception 16 yards to the 49ers 28-yard line. But the interception did more than just preserve a 6-6 tie with 1:15 left in the first half. San Francisco moved into position for Robbie Gould to kick a 50-yard field goal on the final snap of the second quarter to put the 49ers in front by three.

· Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams (Lee-Montgomery) played but did not record any stats.

Dallas qualified for the playoffs as the NFC’s top wild-card with a 12-5 record and opened the postseason with a 31-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

San Francisco won the NFC West with a 13-4 record and opened the postseason with a 41-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks last week.

The 49ers and Eagles will square off in the NFC Championship Game at 2 p.m. CST Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The Eagles advanced by beating the New York Giants 38-7 on Saturday night.

Last year, San Francisco lost to the Los Angeles Rams 20-17 in the NFC Championship Game.

The 49ers won the conference crown for the 2019 season by beating the Green Bay Packers 37-20. San Francisco lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.