by By Matt Barrows, Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf and Hunter Patterson
The San Francisco 49ers held off a late charge from the visiting Dallas Cowboys to win 30-24 on “Sunday Night Football.” The Cowboys outscored the 49ers 14-3 in the final quarter, but San Francisco’s defense made the final stop to win the game as Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott was unable to connect with his target, Jalen Brooks.
Brock Purdy went 18 of 26, throwing for 260 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers. Purdy also added 56 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on eight attempts. His only touchdown pass went to National Tight End’s Day creator George Kittle, who finished with six receptions and 128 yards. Rookie running back Isaiah Guerendo added 85 yards and his first career touchdown for San Francisco.
Prescott threw for 243 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 25-of-38 passing. His two touchdown passes went to receiver CeeDee Lamb, who caught 13 passes for 146 yards.
The 49ers improve to 4-4 with the win, while the Cowboys fall to 3-4.
San Francisco is growing
The 49ers enter their bye week at 4-4 with momentum after outscoring the Cowboys 21-0 in the third quarter. The 49ers opened the game with touchdown runs from Guerendo and Purdy and a short touchdown run from Kittle, who had 72 of his 128 receiving yards in the quarter. And reinforcements are expected at the end of the bye.
The biggest will be Christian McCaffrey, who is expected to take part in his first practice in almost two months during the so-called “bonus” session following the Week 9 bye.
If all goes well, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year could make his 2024 debut in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team could also get kicker Jake Moody (ankle) back for this game and two defenders, linebacker Greenlaw (Achilles) and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), a few weeks later. It’s also possible the 49ers could make a trade before the Nov. 5 deadline.
A defensive lineman, perhaps a defensive end, makes sense given how light the team is behind Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd as well as how many players are available on teams that fade out of playoff contention. — Matt Barrows, 49ers beat writer
The 49ers continue to benefit from big contributions from a strong rookie class
One of Sunday’s highlights was Guerendo, who replaced Jordan Mason in the first quarter after Mason aggravated a shoulder injury suffered in Week 6. Guerendo gained 85 yards and scored his first touchdown in the NFL, four yards away, in the third quarter.
Mason’s injury left the 49ers with only two healthy backs on the active roster, Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr., with Deebo Samuel also filling in throughout the game and recording the most snaps in any game this season. San Francisco also got a 39-yard run from Ricky Pearsall late in the round.
Samuel, who was questionable after being hospitalized with pneumonia last week, finished with 15 on the ground and another 71 in the air. A 66-yard touchdown run by Samuel was overturned due to a penalty. Samuel injured his ribs late in the match and did not play the final eight minutes of the match. The upcoming bye week should give Samuel’s rib and Mason’s shoulder a chance to heal.
And that will give McCaffrey an extra week to get up to speed for a Week 10 return in Tampa. — Tumulus
What you see is what you get from Dallas
The Cowboys came out of their bye week last season and started to hit their stride. They won six of their next seven. Sunday night, just in case you’re holding out hope, it probably won’t happen this time. The comeback attempt was nice, but ultimately the plays weren’t made when they needed them most. Maybe Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and DaRon Bland will return and the defense will improve.
But this really doesn’t look like a team that’s about to get hot and keep pace with the NFC’s best. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones have been asked multiple times in recent weeks about the possibility of making a move before the trade deadline. Neither gave the impression that there was much interest.
So, barring something very unexpected, what you see is what you get with this year’s Cowboys team. And that doesn’t seem like enough for another playoff appearance. — Cowboys beat writer Jon Machota
The Cowboys’ third-quarter collapse
The Cowboys completely fell apart in the third quarter, turning a 10-6 halftime lead into a 27-6 deficit early in the fourth quarter.
The defense, which was hanging by a thread in the first half, gave up three touchdowns in the third quarter. The Cowboys’ offense, which left a lot of points on the field in the first half, was scoreless in the third quarter and contributed to the defense’s struggles, thanks to a poor interception by Prescott deep in the Cowboys territory.
This led to another fourth quarter rally in garbage time for the Cowboys that inevitably fell short due to a three-and-out with the game on the line. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer
Required reading
(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
