Cowboys’ Loss to 49ers Was the Sort of Defeat That Sticks With a Team

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t provide much of a threat to San Francisco’s defense, and it’s fair to wonder if the Cowboys have what it takes to win this matchup.

Let’s just say what most of us are thinking: The 49ers have the Cowboys’ number. Only the most diehard Cowboys fans believe their favorite team can defeat the juggernaut that is the 49ers if they meet again in the postseason.

Full discretion here, I picked the Cowboys to beat the 49ers on Sunday night. That, of course, didn’t occur, with the 49ers cruising to a 42–10 victory at Levi’s Stadium to remain one of two teams that are 5–0 in the NFL. The Eagles are the other undefeated team. They can match up with the 49ers, and they know they can beat the 49ers because they did it in January during the NFC title game.

The Cowboys (3–2) have forgotten what it’s like to beat the 49ers, losing three consecutive games to their NFC rivals, including two postseason games. They also evidently don’t know how to beat the 49ers.

I figured the Cowboys were due for a win. Also, Dak Prescott seemed determined to prove the doubters wrong after a reporter annoyed him last week for reminding him of his poor playoff performance against the 49ers.

“Due for a win” and a player’s podium mannerism doesn’t qualify as football analysis, but the Cowboys are too good to be a predictable loser when it comes to game predictions against the 49ers. Regardless, I’ve seen enough to declare I won’t be picking the Cowboys to beat the 49ers any time soon—more on declarations in a bit. 

Prescott and the Cowboys offense only gained eight first downs on Sunday night :: Jed Jacobsohn/AP

The individual performance most likely to hang over Dallas was that of Prescott, who played dreadfully, completing 14 of 24 passes for 153 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Even if the Cowboys (3–2) can’t beat the 49ers, though, they can’t allow those thoughts to creep into their mind because they might play them again in the playoffs. And maybe it’s O.K. to accept that reality for now because plenty can change in an NFL season. The 49ers didn’t expect to lose Brock Purdy’s throwing arm a few minutes into the NFC title game against the Eagles.

NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth was reaching a bit when he declared “this is the Dak moment” for a play early in the second quarter during Week 5 of the NFL season. But it was easy to see what point Collinsworth was trying to make for the Cowboys, who were on the verge of being blown out 15 minutes into the game.

The Cowboys caught a break after cornerback Jourdan Lewis forced Christian McCaffrey to fumble on Dallas’s 2-yard line to keep the deficit 7–0. After Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense returned to the field, Collinsworth wasn’t specifically making the drive a big deal. He was just saying what we were all thinking: the Cowboys can’t compete with the 49ers now and probably not in the playoffs, and definitely not with a two-touchdown deficit.

With poor field position, Prescott and Cowboys, of course, didn’t do much for “the Dak moment” in the second quarter. Prescott was sacked by All-Pro Fred Warner to force Dallas to punt. A few plays later, All-Pro McCaffrey took a hand off before pitching it back to All-Pro Deebo Samuel, who then gave it back to Purdy, who proceeded to launch a 38-yard touchdown pass to All-Pro George Kittle to make it 14–0 with 13:16 left in the first half.

As you can tell, the 49ers are loaded with former All-Pros. Purdy hasn’t achieved that feat, but the second-year QB is well on his way for a Pro Bowl selection, with how impressive he was Sunday night and throughout his young career. Purdy, who’s making about $900,000 this season, might break down film of his stellar performance vs. the Cowboys next to his roommate after sending him a Zelle payment for the expensive bills in the Bay Area. Purdy finished 17-of-24 for 252 yards and four touchdowns before being relieved by backup Sam Darnold in the fourth quarter.

That’s how well things are going for the 49ers. They have a seventh-round pick from the 2022 draft playing as the best quarterback the organization has had since Jimmy Garoppolo, Colin Kaepernick, Alex Smith, Jeff Garcia or Steve Young? I’ll try to not get too carried away, but it sure seems like Purdy is the right QB to end the 49ers’ Super Bowl drought that goes back to 1994.

But perhaps there’s some solace there for the Cowboys. The 49ers have been loaded for a few years now and they only have one Super Bowl appearance with this core group. But then again, the Cowboys have failed to leave the divisional round since the ’90s.

Going back to Collinsworth’s declaration. At the time, the Cowboys needed some type of momentum, not only to avoid a double-digit deficit, but to prevent the thoughts of them not being good enough to beat the 49ers from creeping into their minds and possibly staying there throughout the season. Prescott’s moment never arrived Sunday night, and who knows whether he’ll have his long-awaited moment in the postseason—that’s if the Cowboys get there.

It’s not a reach to say the 49ers have the Cowboys’ number. And, yes, they would probably beat the Cowboys again in the postseason if the two were to meet for the third consecutive January—unless unforeseen circumstances arise.

After an embarrassing night, all the Cowboys can do is focus on the unforeseen.