Through the years, Dak Prescott has gotten a lot of criticism he probably didn’t deserve. Tony Romo dealt with the same thing. It’s part of being the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.
This season, Prescott deserves the scorn.
Prescott signed a historic four-year, $240 million deal before this season started, and then his play has fallen well short of that mark. Prescott’s difficult season continued with another Cowboys loss, this one on Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers have had their issues too, but got back to 4-4 with the 30-24 win. The Cowboys are going the other way, with their star quarterback struggling to get much going and turning it over too often.
Prescott had multiple interceptions in a game for the fourth time this season, and produced nothing in the third quarter when the game was getting away from Dallas. Then in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, with a chance to take the lead, Prescott threw four straight incompletions and the Cowboys turned it over on downs. The Cowboys never got the ball back.
The 49ers have had their struggles too, but got back to 4-4 with the win. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are going the other way, with their star quarterback struggling to get much going and turning it over too often. Prescott had multiple interceptions in a game for the fourth time this season, and produced nothing in the third quarter when the game was getting away from Dallas.
The Cowboys’ season isn’t dead at 3-4. And the hole Dallas has dug is way more complex than putting it all at the feet of the quarterback. But Prescott is the most visible player on the roster, the highest paid player in NFL history, and his shortcomings are mirroring the Cowboys’ season that is slipping away fast.
Dallas took a halftime lead
Both teams were desperate for a win. The Cowboys were the ones who played like it in the first half.
The 49ers were sloppy. A 66-yard touchdown to Deebo Samuel Sr. was wiped off the board due to a holding penalty, one of several first-half penalties that set the 49ers back. The offense didn’t score a touchdown before halftime.
The Cowboys weren’t much better, but they were good enough to have a 10-6 halftime lead. Ezekiel Elliott, filling in as the main back when Rico Dowdle became ill before the game, scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys' defense did a solid job containing the 49ers. Dallas has had stretches of terrible play this season but played hard and mostly well in the first half against San Francisco.
And it didn’t take long in the second half for the Cowboys to unravel all the good they had done before halftime.
The 49ers finally got things going early in the third quarter. George Kittle, who has been a highlight for a banged up San Francisco offense all season, had a great play for a 43-yard gain to set up a touchdown run by Isaac Guerendo to give the 49ers a 13-10 lead.
Then Prescott made a huge mistake that helped turn the game in San Francisco’s favor.
Cowboys have horrendous 3rd quarter
Prescott was rolling right on a third down and he threw to a heavily covered CeeDee Lamb. Prescott’s pass went right to cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who made a nice catch to haul in the interception and land in bounds. There was nowhere for Prescott to go with the pass but he forced it anyway. That set up a touchdown from Kittle and San Francisco led 20-10.
That’s how the Cowboys’ season is going. They played a good enough half to lead on the road at halftime. And with just a few mistakes in the first few minutes of the third quarter, they turned a halftime lead into a 10-point deficit. In the Cowboys’ first three series of the second half, as the game slipped away, they ran nine plays and gained 15 yards with no first downs and Prescott’s interception.
The Cowboys rallied and a Lamb touchdown, his second of the fourth quarter, with 3:32 left cut San Francisco’s lead to 30-24. The Cowboys got a stop and the 49ers had a poor punt, giving Prescott the chance with 3:05 left to drive the Cowboys for a game-winning score. He couldn’t come through. Prescott’s first pass was thrown into heavy coverage and was almost intercepted. After two more incompletions, one a close one to KaVontae Turpin, Prescott threw deep on fourth-and-10 and it was another misfire, and there was no pass interference called on the 49ers.
The 49ers deserve a lot of credit for turning the game around. They’re dealing with many injuries as well, including one to running back Jordan Mason that knocked him out of Sunday’s game, and were in some trouble after a rough first half. But the defense settled in and the offense made enough plays to put the Cowboys in a big hole. They’re back to .500 and the NFC West’s struggles mean the 49ers are still in fine shape to win the division.
The Cowboys came into the season with high hopes, after winning 12 games each of the past three seasons. The postseason hasn’t been good for the Cowboys but you could count on them being one of the NFL’s best teams in the regular season. That’s not the case this season. There are many issues on both sides of the ball. But only one of their players is making $60 million a season. If the Cowboys are going to make anything of this season, it probably starts with their quarterback getting out of his slump.
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Dak, Cowboys stumble again
Sometimes, Dak Precott gets criticized unfairly. This season, he deserves all the scrutiny. The Cowboys are 3-4, and a lot of it starts with their $240 million QB. https://t.co/qybVClAG3H
And that'll do it. The 49ers hang on to grab the 30-24 win, which moves them to 4-4 on the season.
Brock Purdy went 18-of-26 for 260 yards with two total touchdowns in the win. Guerendo had 85 yards and touchdown on the ground, and George Kittle had 128 yards and a touchdown on six catches.
Dak Prescott went 25-of-38 for Dallas with 243 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. CeeDee Lamb had 146 yards and two touchdowns on 13 catches. The Cowboys are now 3-4.
Well, that was four straight incomplete passes for the Cowboys. Turpin dropped one that he should've caught, and then Jalen Brooks dropped it after a lot of contact on fourth down.
The Cowboys sacked Brock Purdy, and then stopped Juszczyk short of the first down to force a 49ers punt.
After a brutal third quarter, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will now have a chance to win this thing. They'll get the ball at their own 25 with 3:05 left on the clock.
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Touchdown, Cowboys
That drive was all CeeDee Lamb. He racked up 70 yards on three catches there, including a 20-yard touchdown reception. He was left wide open again, too.
Another one! CeeDee Lamb hauls in his second TD to make it a one-score game 👀
Carlson drilled a 41-yarder for the 49ers to extend their lead once again. The Cowboys will get the ball back now with 4:25 left, and will have to score quickly.
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Touchdown, Cowboys
Dak Prescott hits CeeDee Lamb for a wide open touchdown in the corner of the end zone to cap their drive.
The Cowboys nearly pulled off an interception there, which would've changed the game completely, but instead they force a quick 49ers punt.
If the Cowboys are going to climb back in this, they'll need to score here almost immediately.
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Dak Prescott was just sacked on their second play of the fourth quarter, and the 49ers will get the ball back once again. We're just about done here.
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49ers 27, Cowboys 10
Brock Purdy comes up with a 2-yard touchdown run, and the 49ers are running away with this one. They are up by 17 points now near the end of the third.
That's a quick three and out for the Cowboys, and this game feels like it's slipping away from them fast.
The 49ers will get the ball back at their own 25 yard line now with just more than six minutes left in the third quarter.
Since taking a 10-3 lead and excluding the final kneeldown of the half, the Cowboys offense has run nine plays for 19 yards. The game has turned. The season could be turning too, if it hasn't already.
Well there's Dak Prescott's second interception of the night, and this one was much worse than the first. Prescott tried to find CeeDee Lamb, and Deommodore Lenoir picked him off.
Prescott now has eight touchdowns and eight interceptions so far this season. He had just nine interceptions total last season.
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49ers 13, Cowboys 10
Well that looked easy. George Kittle just broke open a 43 yard gain, which set up a short Guerendo touchdown run. That was the first of his career, too.
The 49ers are now in the lead for the first time tonight.
We're back for the second half, and Brandon Aubrey missed the landing zone on his kick. So the 49ers will start at the 40.
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Halftime Stats
Cowboys: 10
Dak Prescott: 14-of-18 for 110 yards, 1 INT
Ezekiel Elliott: 29 yards, 1 TD on 6 carries
CeeDee Lamb: 48 yards on 7 receptions
49ers: 6
Brock Purdy: 10-of-16 for 151 yards
Isaac Guerendo: 38 yards on 3 carries
George Kittle: 56 yards on 3 receptions
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Halftime: Cowboys 10, 49ers 6
The Cowboys took a knee there, and they'll take a four-point lead into halftime at Levi's Stadium.
The 49ers will get the ball out of the break.
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Brock Purdy fumbled to move the 49ers out of field goal range, and they had to punt now on 4th and 17. The Cowboys defense — which has struggled for most of the season — is shutting San Francisco down so far tonight.
Dallas will take over at the 1 with just 10 seconds left.
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Well, that was a wasted drive for the Cowboys. They went three-and-out there, and the 49ers will get the ball back now with 54 seconds left before halftime.
Dallas' drive took just 21 seconds.
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Cowboys 10, 49ers 6
The 49ers had a great opportunity to tie the game up before halftime there, but they had to settle for another field goal.
The Cowboys' lead is now just four points, but they'll get the ball back with 90 seconds left in the second quarter.
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Jordan Mason left for the locker room early, and he's now questionable to return for San Francisco.
The Cowboys made it down within the 10 yard line, and recovered another near-fumble, but they had to settle for a field goal.
Dallas is up by a touchdown now with 2:56 left in the half.
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The 49ers had a fourth down conversion, but a wide open Deebo Samuel dropped a pass thrown a bit behind him in the middle of the field. So the Cowboys will take over in great field position here in the second quarter.
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Touchdown, Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott just scored his first touchdown since the opening week of the season. The Cowboys are up 7-3 now early in the second quarter.
The Cowboys are driving right at midfield at the end of the first, and they just recovered what was nearly a disastrous fumble from Turpin. It'll be 2nd and 6 when we come back.
The 49ers just punted the ball away, but a scuffle broke out after the return. Not much came of it, but there were offsetting unnecessary roughness penalties handed out.
It'll be Cowboys ball from their own 36.
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Dak Prescott INT
Dak Prescott was looking for KaVontae Turpin down the sidelines, but his pass went directly to Ji'Ayir Brown for the interception. That's Prescott's seventh interception this season.
Bosa gets the pressure. Brown gets the pick. @49ers ball!
The Cowboys tried to hand it off to Hunter Luepke on 3rd and 5, and nothing. They'll punt now, and San Francisco will take over for the first time tonight.
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The 49ers have kicked off, and this game is officially underway. We'll see what Dak Prescott and the Cowboys can do first.
The Cowboys are getting ready to kick off at Levi's Stadium, but Jayden Daniels just whipped out the play of the year across the country to extend Washington's lead in the NFC East.
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