The 49ers avoid another collapse in the 4th quarter and beat the Cowboys 30-24

The San Francisco 49ers always used a lot of tricks from the Cowboys during the bye week and faced one before the first play from scrimmage. The Cowboys opened the game with tricks on the opening kickoff return. There was a penalty for the game.

Dallas picked up a first down before Fred Warner stopped the Cowboys on 3rd and 5. Confidence goes through the roof when you get a three-and-out early in the game.

Ricky Pearsall caught the first pass of the game for the Niners and received an illegal procedure penalty on third down. That produced a 3rd and 6th, and Kyle Shanahan had a real blast. Deebo Samuel lined up in the backfield, waved to linebacker Eric Kendricks and ran directly past him 47 yards.

However, a holding penalty on Kyle Juszczyk prevented the offense from reaching the red zone, resulting in a field goal by Anders Carlson. Carlson's 50-yard shot was good and gave the Niners a 3-0 lead.

The defense did not force a punt on the resulting possessions. After allowing two first downs, Nick Bosa hit Dak Prescott throwing, and Ji'Ayir Brown deflected the throw as if it were a punt for an interception.

The 49ers took the lead and were protected in their territory, but Jordan Mason was injured on the first down. According to the broadcast, Mason said, “I'm fine,” so there was hope that the injury wasn't serious.

After a first-down throw to George Kittle, Purdy missed Jacob Cowing on third down, resulting in a punt.

The 49ers scored two draws in one play on Dallas' third drive. Fred Warner forced a fumble on 3rd-and-10, but the Cowboys recovered. A 12-yard run sent Dallas reeling.

On third down, the defense had another chance to get off the field, but CeeDee Lamb gained 15 yards. Defense is about sacks and timely sacks. Nick Bosa cleanly beat right tackle Terrance Steele, but the Cowboys got another first down with the run on 3rd and long.

After a pass interference in the end zone by Charvarius Ward, Ezekiel Elliott ran in from one yard to give the Cowboys a 7-3 lead.

Shanahan engineered another masterpiece of his play when Deebo Samuel ran wide open down the sideline, but an Eric Saubert call negated the 66-yard touchdown.

The good news was that Mason had returned to the field. The better news was that Pearsall caught a third-down reception to keep the offense on the field. A one-yard gain on 3rd-and-4 meant Kyle Shanahan had a decision to make.

On 4th-and-3, Deebo was open, but Purdy's pass was so far behind him that Samuel couldn't reach it with both hands. The turnover on downs was another game-changing play for an offense that left far too many yards on the field in the first half.

Dallas got into 49ers field position on the next drive. Malik Mustapha made two great ball plays. One was an errant pass in the end zone, the other was a hard hit. The Cowboys were fortunate to recover their second fumble and score a short field goal. Brandon Aubrey's shot was good and made the score 10-3.

The offense had a chance to double-dip. They had the ball with less than three minutes left in the second quarter and would receive it early in the third quarter. Isaac Guerendo gave the offense a much-needed boost, with gains of 15 and 19 yards early in the drive.

It was questionable whether Mason would return due to a shoulder injury.

Guerendo had another long rush, but a Kittle holding call negated it. Then Samuel dropped a screen pass that looked like it was on 2nd-and-20. Then Purdy's pass to Guerendo underneath was inaccurate, causing him to lose his balance.

Carlson's 44-yard shot was good to cut the lead to 10-6. The 49ers averaged 7.7 yards per play on four drives and only had six points to show for it.

The possibilities were there. Shanahan seemed to have found something with the under-center run game, as they had 38 yards on three carries – all from Guerendo. It seemed like the receivers were open consistently every trip. However, the scoreboard did not reflect the box score.

The defense got a much-needed stop, giving the offense a chance to score points with less than a minute to play. Jacob Cowing was hit when the defender flew into him and kicked Cowing's knee, but it was not called.

Kittle caught a 30-yarder, but Purdy fumbled and missed Chris Conley on 3rd-and-17, losing the offense the chance to add points. At halftime it was 10:6.

Kyle Shanahan's halftime speech was well received by the team. The offense scored a touchdown in just over two minutes thanks to a 43-yard gain from Kittle. Guerendo ran into the goal from four meters away and gave San Francisco a 13:10 lead.

Would we finally see the 49ers play complementary football? The kickoff team defended another trick play by the Cowboys. Deommodore Lenoir singled out Dak Prescott for his second interception in as many weeks.

The 49ers scored a touchdown in the red zone for the second time in as many games. Purdy scrambled for a first down on 3rd-and-3. Then Kittle was open in the end zone for a touchdown. There was a flag in the game, but it was overturned and the Niners took a commanding 20-10 lead.

Up until that point, Nick Sorensen had played a great game that didn't stop in the third quarter. The defense was swarming, but Sorensen pressed all the right buttons. He found a way to release his best pass rushers, and they rewarded their coordinator with wins.

A quick three-and-out was followed by a methodical drive that took the offense more than five minutes. Purdy's best play of the game was a broken play. There was a swing pass for Deebo. Dallas read it, and instead of forcing a play that could have ended disastrously, Purdy tucked the ball away and ran 16 yards. Kittle had another 27-yard gain and Samuel gained 16 yards on 3rd-and-7. Purdy scored on third down and scored both goals to give the 49ers a commanding 27-10 lead.

Dee Winters was ruled out for the rest of the game with a concussion.

Sam Okuayinonu picked up his third sack of the season and capped it off with a remarkable dance. After the Cowboys' only 65-yard touchdown drive, the 49ers forced four three-and-outs on five drives, including an interception.

Thanks to a gifted pass interference call against Charvarius Ward, Dallas would score a first down on the ensuing drive. CeeDee Lamb made an impressive fingertip grab and followed it up with a touchdown after the Niners left Lamb uncovered in the end zone. Just eight minutes before the end of the game the score was 27:17.

As we saw this year, the game was far from over. The offense needed an answer. Pearsall made a jet sweep, missed the defender and flew 39 yards. This led to a 41-yard field goal by Carlson, putting San Francisco back in front 30-17.

But Dallas wasted no time and scored. Leads of 21, 29 and 20 yards to Lamb made the score 30-24. Ji'Ayir Brown took out Renardo Green because it was the worst time for friendly fire. After

Purdy fought back on first down, but Guerendo missed a block on second down for a sack. The 49ers were forced to punt, meaning the defense had to stop the bleeding.

Fred Warner tipped a first-down pass. The pass rush was in the backfield on every other down and the defense forced a much-needed turnover. Guerendo's 14-yard rush gave the 49ers the win.

This game wasn't about the last possession. Offensive mistakes in the first half and defensive mistakes in the fourth quarter prevented a spectacular defeat. The 49ers enter the bye week at 4-4 and must decide whether they need to improve any positions in the second half for a playoff run.

The offense finished with a season-high in yards after catch. This could be a taste of what we could see in the second half of the season. The next time we see this team, #23 will be in the picture.