It was a rivalry renewed between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys on "Sunday Night Football." The meeting marked the fourth clash between these two teams over the last four seasons (including the playoffs), all of which have gone in the 49ers favor. With this most recent 30-24 victory, San Francisco extends their lead in the all-time series to 21-19-1 and enters their Bye week on a high note.
Here are five takeaways from the Cowboys vs. 49ers game:
San Francisco's Secondary Standouts
Sophomore safety Ji'Ayir Brown came up with the first turnover of the night, picking off Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on their second offensive series. As Dallas entered San Francisco territory, Prescott took the deep shot to the left side of the field that was intercepted by Brown inside the 10 yard line. The takeaway was very much a team effort with defensive lineman Nick Bosa getting the quarterback hit on Prescott as he was releasing his pass. This allowed the 49ers starting safety to jump the route and get the ball back in hands of Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense.
Interception No. 2 was secured by defensive back Deommodore Lenoir following San Francisco's go-ahead third quarter touchdown. Prescott rolled to his left and targeted wide receiver CeeDee Lamb near the sideline, however, Lenoir made a tremendous play on the ball and stayed inbounds to snag the pick. That interception marks back-to-back games for Lenoir with a pick, and, following his splash play, the 49ers offense was able to take over on Dallas 32 yard line.
Dimes to Deebo Samuel Sr.
The deep ball connection between Purdy and wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., who was hospitalized earlier in the week with pneumonia, is alive and well. San Francisco found themselves in a third-and-six situation on their opening drive when Purdy dropped a dime downfield to his "wideback" for an impressive 47-yard completion. San Francisco went on to cap off their seven-play, 55-yard drive with a 50-yard field goal by kicker Anders Carlson.
Injuries of the Game
Running back Jordan Mason went down on his fourth carry of the game and was examined on the field following the six-yard rush. The third-year running back was able to run off the field on his own but only had two more carries before being ruled as questionable to return with a shoulder injury in the second quarter. He did not return to action for the remainder of the game.
Midway through the third quarter, linebacker Dee Winters was evaluated for a head injury, and he was later downgraded to out with a concussion. Samuel Sr. exited the game with injured ribs and did not reenter the game. Cornerback Renardo Green exited the game with an ankle injury.
Celebrating National Tight Ends Day
For the second week in a row, tight end George Kittle closed out the night as the team's receiving yards leader. On the NFL holiday he helped create, Kittle racked up six catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, which gives him 6,777 career receiving yards, and he eclipsed the 500-career receptions mark. The veteran tight end's 6,777 career receiving yards are good for the third-most receiving yards in franchise history. Kittle overtook two-time Super Bowl winning receiver Dwight Clark for that No. 3 spot on the leaderboard.
Kittle's longest reception of the day came on the 49ers opening drive of the third quarter. Purdy hit Kittle over the middle and "The People's Tight End" nearly punched in the score before being brought down on Dallas' four yard line. On the next play, rookie Isaac Guerendo took the handoff and barreled into the end zone for his first-career touchdown. Guerendo's four-yard rushing touchdown gave the 49ers the 13-10 advantage.
On the next offensive series, Kittle would not be denied the touchdown. He went untouched into pay dirt and hauled in a two-yard pass from Purdy to extend the lead to 20-10. Holding calls were initially thrown on the play but taken back after review.
Purdy Special
The 49ers QB1 put up huge numbers against Dallas through the air and on the ground. Purdy completed 18-of-26 pass attempts for 260 yards, a touchdown and 114.3 passer rating. He also made a ton of plays with his legs, closing out the game as the 49ers second leading rusher with eight carries for 56 yards and a two-yard touchdown. Purdy has now punched in scores on quarterback sneaks in back-to-back games.
