By: Anthony Miller
The Dallas Cowboys could chalk up Sunday night as a forgetful night as they fell to the San Francisco 49ers on the road 42-10.
There was hope and optimism that the Cowboys would finally get their revenge on the Niners after losing to them in the playoffs two straight seasons. That died out quickly as San Francisco scored with will and made sure they did it often.
San Francisco took their opening drive right down the field ending in a Brock Purdy to George Kittle touchdown to make it 7-0.
Nothing happened with the Dallas offense as they didn’t get a first down on their first four drives of the game. Three of those drives ended in punts while one ended in a Tony Pollard fumble lost.
The 49ers opened the second quarter with a second Kittle touchdown catch to make it 14-0. A Dallas response was needed and given as Dak Prescott hit KaVontae Turpin on a 26-yard touchdown catch to make the game 14-7. San Francisco responded right back with a Christian McCaffrey one-yard touchdown run to make it 21-7 going into halftime.
Dallas started the second half strong with a 50-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey to make it 21-10. Once again, San Francisco responded right back with a ten-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to Kittle for a third time making it 28-10.
This is the point where the game went off the rails as Prescott threw an interception on each of the next three offensive drives. Those led to two touchdowns by the 49ers to put them up 42-10 in the fourth quarter.
That is all that was needed as the Cowboys took the 32 point loss on the road moving them to 3-2 on the season.
The final stats include four turnovers on offense, 197 total yards of offense, 421 yards allowed on defense, and 25 first downs allowed compared to Dallas only recording eight first downs. Those are stats worthy of a loss.
What Went Horribly Wrong for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Suffered Multiple Injuries
To give some context into the amount of injuries suffered in the game Sunday night, here is a list of Dallas Cowboys players who were hurt in the game:
• Dak Prescott (middle finger, stayed in game)
• Tyler Biadasz (left ankle, returned)
• Leighton Vander Esch (neck, did not return)
• KaVontae Turpin (ankle, did not return)
• CJ Goodwin (shoulder, returned but left again)
• Jourdan Lewis
• Donovan Wilson (right leg)
So many players went down for the Cowboys or played through injuries throughout the game. The most concerning is Leighton Vander Esch’s neck injury as he has had a history of injuries while also being a neck injury also being scary.
Dak Prescott Was Bad for the First Time This Season
Prescott entered the game only throwing one interception, completing a career high 71.3 percent of his passes, and eighth in the NFL in QBR with 68.3. None of those stats matter for San Francisco as Prescott regressed.
His final stats of the game were 153 yards passing, sacked three times, and threw three interceptions. He was pulled in the fourth quarter for Cooper Rush to finish the game.
It was by far his worst showing of the season. In his defense, his rushing attack had 57 yards on 19 carries so he didn’t get much support there. He faced an elite defense who has been among one of the best all season. Another thing to keep in mind is his middle finger might have effected some of the throws as well as he had it wrapped up throughout the night.
Fans would hope a franchise quarterback would rise to the occasion on Sunday night football, but that didn’t happen. Too much went against him so better to move on and hope it gets better from here.
Secondary/Linebackers Were No Match for 49ers’ Skill Players
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is among one of the best right ends in the league despite not scoring a touchdown this season. His fortune changed with three scores on the Cowboys. It didn’t matter who was covering him as every time he touched the ball, he was going in the end zone.
The loss of Trevon Diggs was felt throughout the night. Stephon Gilmore was asked to cover Brandon Aiyuk as he finished with four catches for 58 yards. Debo Samuel also had 55 receiving yards as well for the 49ers. McCaffrey also had 78 total yards and one score.
With Purdy only sacked one time, the linebackers and secondary were asked to cover quite a bit. They allowed 18 completions off of 25 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns. It was a forgetful night for the unit and the team in general.
Featured Image via NBC