Resurgent Cowboys' defense follows Dan Quinn's lead into playoffs

WilliamsFOX Sports NFL WriterThe last time the Dallas Cowboys faced the San Francisco 49ers in the postseason, 27 years ago, Dan Quinn had just completed a stint as defensive line coach at William & Mary.As a fan, Quinn closely followed the hotly contested series as the two teams met in the NFC Championship for three straight postseasons, with the winner moving on to also win the Super Bowl."I’m damn fired up, man," Quinn told reporters this week when asked about competing against San Francisco. That was such cool football because everyone knew: Those NFC Championships those three years were the Super Bowl."Now, the two coaches who helped lead the Atlanta Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance five years ago will be on opposing sidelines in the NFC wild-card round when the Cowboys host San Francisco on Sunday (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS) at AT&T Stadium.Dallas holds a 5-2 edge in the all-time playoff series, but the Niners won the last time the two teams met in the postseason, a 38-28 victory in the NFC Championship on Jan. 15, 1995, at Candlestick Park. I had to go back and look at that moment, too, and know that it is hard to get there."Quinn, who was fired by the Falcons after an 0-5 start to the 2020 season and finished with a 43-42 record in Atlanta, said he wanted to work with Shanahan back then because of his ability to adapt and change his scheme based on his players. The Cowboys also had the second-worst run defense in the league, allowing 159 rushing yards per contest during a 6-10 campaign in coach Mike McCarthy’s first year with the team.Fast-forward to this season, though, and the 12-5 Cowboys won the NFC East for the first time since 2018. The Legion of Boom helped the Seahawks reach back-to-back Super Bowls during his tenure as defensive coordinator.In 2013, Quinn's defense gave up a league-low 14.4 points per contest and led the NFL in total yards allowed (273.6), passing yards allowed (172) and takeaways (36).