The 49ers needed to be on point in prime time against a team that some thought would be in their class of competitor in the NFC.
San Francisco squashed any notion that the Dallas Cowboys belonged in the tier of Super Bowl contender by throttling them 42-10 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score.
Buy 49ers TicketsThere were plenty of outstanding performances for the 49ers, and a couple not-so-good ones:
Good: LB Fred Warner
When an opposing offense lives in the short and intermediate areas of the field, it typically means Warner is in for a big night. He showed up in a big way on Sunday Night Football vs. a Cowboys offense that was averaging only 6.2 air yards per pass attempt. Warner stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high eight tackles, 1.0 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. Warner is elite.
Bad: Right side of the OL
The 49ers did an okay job protecting QB Brock Purdy, but the right side of the offensive line continues to have lapses that lead to tackles for loss and sacks. Whether it’s miscommunication or not knowing assignments is unclear, but there are too many free rushers coming off that side of the ball too often. Right tackle Colton McKivitz and right guard Spencer Burford are going to have to step up moving forward if the 49ers are going to reach this level in the playoffs.
Good: TE George Kittle
What a night for Kittle who entered Sunday’s game with 14 catches for 148 yards and no touchdowns this year. He blew up against the Cowboys with three catches for 67 yards and three touchdowns. It’s really hard to cover Kittle while also focusing heavily on slowing down RB Christian McCaffrey. It left Kittle on an island with linebackers or safeties and that’s a matchup Purdy is going to exploit. This likely won’t be the last time we see Kittle post multiple TDs in a game this season.
Bad: CB Isaiah Oliver
It wasn’t necessarily a bad overall game for Oliver, but he did get toasted on the Cowboys’ only touchdown of the game. He was in coverage against speedy Dallas WR KaVontae Turpin, who went in motion before the snap. The motion forced Oliver to play off coverage which gave Turpin a clean release where he sped past the 49ers’ nickel cornerback for a TD.
Good: P Mitch Wishnowsky
There’s not a punter in the league kicking better than Wishnowsky. He dropped two of his four punts inside the Cowboys’ 10 and he boomed a long punt of 59 yards. Dallas was held to only 10 punt return yards on three kicks. Winning the field position battle is a big deal and Wishnowsky is a legitimate weapon in that department.
Bad: A TURNOVER
The bad stuff is few and far between here so we’re going to nitpick. RB Christian McCaffrey fumbled deep in the red zone and it was recovered by the Cowboys. McCaffrey railroaded a Dallas defender, but dropped the football as he was going to the ground. It wound up not mattering, but turnovers deep in the red zone are how a good team loses to a worse team come playoff time.
Good: LB Dre Greenlaw
There may not have been a player who better encapsulated the vibe Sunday night than Greenlaw. He was flying from the first snap and laid a handful of bone-jarring hits on the short throws the Cowboys offense lives on. Greenlaw finished Sunday’s game with five tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup. He’d have been the unquestioned defensive star of the game if not for Warner.
Good: QB Brock Purdy
Purdy was excellent in his second time facing the Cowboys. Dallas mostly shut him down in the divisional playoffs last year. They weren’t as successful Sunday night. Purdy put it in the air only 24 times, but he completed 17 of his throws for 252 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers. He only took one sack as well on a play where Dallas got a blitzer free off the right edge. It’s hard to play a lot better than Purdy did Sunday.
Good: DL Kevin Givens
Shoutout to Givens who recovered a key fumble early in the game by diving on the ball just before it went out of bounds. He didn’t stop there though. Givens tallied a pair of tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack late in the game against Cowboys backup QB Cooper Rush. The 49ers’ defensive front was really good, but Givens’ entering the fray alongside Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead was cool to see.
Good: Head coach Kyle Shanahan
Shanahan had a heck of a game Sunday night and the game plan going into the contest was superb. San Francisco rendered Dallas’ star linebacker Micah Parsons basically useless as they threw the kitchen sink his way to slow him down. And with the Cowboys focusing hard on stopping McCaffrey, Shanahan used the RB to open throwing lanes in the middle of the field and attacked them relentlessly. There weren’t a lot of slip ups from the 49ers’ head coach and offensive play caller during the game, and it was clear which team was ready to play in a game that had a playoff vibe.
Good: Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks
There was a chance for Dallas to get rolling in this game. They’ve lived on the types of underneath throws that killed the 49ers in the first half against the Rams. Wilks didn’t wait for halftime to adjust. San Francisco was flying downhill against the Cowboys all evening and manufactured plenty of pressure without sending in rushers from the second level. The result was three interceptions by Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and four sacks for the 49ers’ defense. It was a dominant showing for Wilks’ crew.
