5 plays that doomed the Cowboys against the 49ers
This was a roller coaster of a game, and not the fun kind
It was a roller coaster of a game for the Cowboys, though they ended up with the same result as they’ve had each of the last three years: a loss to the 49ers. Strong play created a halftime lead, which they then squandered with an uninspired third quarter, before making things close enough to look respectable in the box score.
In the end, though, the Cowboys had several huge mistakes that blew this game for them. Here are five plays that were particularly impactful in ensuring the losing streak continued.
Dak Prescott’s first interception kills promising drive
The 49ers took the lead first with a field goal, but the Cowboys still had a shot to get back in front with a strong response. That looked promising at first, with big passes to both Dalvin Cook and CeeDee Lamb. Then, Dak Prescott threw an interception on an ill-advised deep shot to KaVontae Turpin.
In fairness, Prescott got rocked right as he threw the ball, as Terence Steele got beat early into the pass rep. Still, Prescott’s decision wasn’t great, as the deep safety was already shading towards Turpin before the pass was thrown. The throw would definitely have been better without pressure, but this was still going to be a very difficult one to pull off, and it killed the first good-looking drive of the game.
Brandon Aubrey’s kickoff penalty gives 49ers short field
It’s not often that Brandon Aubrey makes mistakes, but he did just that in this one. The Cowboys held a 10-6 lead at halftime and had looked mostly impressive, but the 49ers got the ball back to start the second half. On the kickoff, Aubrey attempted a line drive kick, but he missed and drew a flag for not kicking into the landing zone.
As a result, the 49ers got the ball at their own 40. San Francisco’s offense had struggled in the first half, but the favorable starting field position was all it took to juice them up. In the span of just five plays and two minutes, the 49ers scored their first touchdown of the night and kicked off a powerful third quarter.
Dak Prescott’s second interception does even more damage
Following the 49ers’ first touchdown of the game, Dallas trailed for the first time since the start of the second quarter, and they needed to regain the lead fast. Prescott must have sensed this urgency, too, as he threw an unnecessary pick just three plays into the next drive.
Prescott was on a designed rollout to his left - already a less than ideal platform to throw the ball - and he quickly saw he had no open receivers. He then seemingly heaves a jump ball to CeeDee Lamb, who was smothered by the defensive back and already hugging the sideline. To no one’s surprise, the ball was picked off and San Francisco once again started with great field position, this time on the Dallas 32.
Offensive pass interference penalty gets picked up
The 49ers didn’t need to do much to score after the interception, but a touchdown was much more crucial than a field goal. Leading just 13-10 at that point, six points were necessary. And with the 49ers facing third and goal at the Dallas two, they were one play away from having to make a decision on going for it or kicking a field goal.
That never happened, because George Kittle got wide open in the endzone for a score. A flag was thrown, and the replay showed an egregious pass interference on the offense, hence why Kittle was so open. However, the referees ultimately picked up the flag, ruling the contact incidental. Thus, the touchdown stood and San Francisco took a two-score lead.
KaVontae Turpin drops sideline bomb
Just as they did against the Ravens, the Cowboys did just enough in the fourth quarter to restore hope in a win. After two touchdowns to CeeDee Lamb, with a 49ers field goal sandwiched in between, Dallas trailed by six and got the ball back with just over three minutes left in the game.
After two quick incompletions, Prescott fired a beautiful deep shot down the sideline to Turpin, putting the ball right on his facemask for what should’ve been a catch and a game-changing pickup of 35 yards. However, the ball bounced right off of Turpin’s hands, setting up a do-or-die fourth down attempt that failed. Turpin’s catch would have flipped the field and given Dallas a very real shot of winning. Instead, in true Cowboys fashion, he dropped the ball.
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