MIDSEASON FORM 

SANTA CLARA, California — 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy admittedly has been underperforming in recent weeks.

That certainly appeared to be the case throughout much of the first half of San Francisco’s clash against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

Following intermission, though, Purdy demonstrated why he has emerged as one of the most efficient signal callers in the NFL since Mr. Irrelevant replaced Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 of the 2022 season.

Purdy engineered the 49ers on three consecutive scoring drives after intermission, including a 2-yard touchdown run with 40 seconds remaining in the third that extended San Francisco’s to lead 17, and the 49ers withstood a furious late rally by Dallas to escape with a 30-24 victory.

An announced crowd of 71,521 spectators turned out at Levi’s Stadium to witness an injury-ridden San Francisco team limp into the bye week on a favorable note and move to within a three-way tie for first place in the congested NFC West standings.

The 49ers had suggested for a better part of this past week that Sunday’s game “was close to a must-win situation” for a team that has manufactured a 3-4 record through seven games in three of the past four seasons.

GET RIGHT GAME

Thanks in large part to Purdy’s assortment of heroics in his latest outing, San Francisco’s postseason chances increased slightly following Sunday’s win to 45 percent, according to ESPN analytics.

Trailing 10-6 at the half, the 49ers (4-4) reached the .500 mark after reaching the end zone on each of their three third-quarter possessions en route to upending the Cowboys (3-4) for the fourth consecutive time dating back to the 2021 campaign.

Rookie running back Isaac Guerendo — filling in for the injured Jordan Mason, who left the game just before the half with a shoulder injury — put the 49ers in front for good on a 4-yard TD run that made it 13-10.

Then after San Francisco cornerback Deommodore Lenoir intercepted a Dak Prescott pass intended for CeeDee Lamb at the Dallas 32 on the ensuing possession, Purdy connected with tight end George Kittle on a 2-yard scoring pass to extend the 49ers’ lead to 20-10 with 7:16 remaining in the third.

That seven-play scoring drive was extended on a Purdy seven-yard scramble that set up first-and-goal at the Dallas 7.

After forcing a three-and-out on the Cowboys’ next possession, Purdy went to work again, steering a 13-play, 74-yard drive that ended with his two-yard scoring run up the middle to make it 27-10, San Francisco.

After the game, Purdy appeared relieved when he approached the podium to address reporters, this after a disastrous performance in last week’s 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when he was intercepted three times, including twice in the red zone.

“Yeah, it’s four quarters for a reason in the sport,” Purdy said after completing 18 of 26 passes for 260 yards and one passing TD. “It’s the NFL. You can come out hot and stall or vice versa. And it takes everybody, offense, defense, special teams. I saw the rest of our team was clicking, it’s like, ‘Alright, I have to do my job.’ And so, third quarter came out and just like I said, kept it simple but also played aggressive and just tried to do what coach called and hit guys when they were open and keep it simple, move the ball, not try to hurt ourselves.”

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said he was mostly pleased with the poise his team exemplified after a lethargic first half in which the 49ers’ red zone issues continued, given they could only muster two field goals during a stretch in which they outgained the Cowboys, 151-110.

While he said much wasn’t discussed at the break about second-half adjustments, Shanahan acknowledged he’s hopeful Purdy’s complimentary second-half display is a sign of things to come after the bye.

“Yeah, I do. I think it was a gut check for him. I mean, for all of us,” Shanahan said. “Things in the first half, we were close, but it didn’t go great. Brock, there were a couple plays I know he’d love to have back. And I thought he came out in the second half and there were a few plays that weren’t there, and he did a hell of a job extending with his feet. The one in particular, we were trying to throw a screen at Deebo (Samuel) and the D-end peeled with it, which just means you have no play, and he just ran and turned it into a 16-yarder. So, he did some real big things there in the second half.”

Dallas (3-4), meanwhile, didn’t go away quietly against a 49er squad that has blown fourth-quarter double-digit leads twice this season (in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams and Week 5 against Arizona).

The Cowboys drove 70 yards in 12 plays to trim their deficit to 27-17 when Prescott found Lamb wide open in the left corner of the end zone with 8:04 remaining in the fourth.

After San Francisco’s Anders Carlson’s connected on his third field goal of the game from 41 yards out to give the 49ers a 30-17 advantage with 4:20 left, the Cowboys responded quickly when Prescott engineered a four-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard scoring pass to Lamb at the 3:36 mark.

After forcing a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, the Cowboys had one final chance to complete a surprise comeback.

SUSPENSEFUL ENDING

But Prescott misfired badly on four straight passes on Dallas’ final drive, including a near-inception that slipped through the waiting hands of 49ers linebacker Fred Warner on second-and-10.

With the Cowboys out of timeouts, Guerendo broke free for a 21-yard scamper before sliding inbounds at the Dallas 4 with 2:43 remaining to end the suspense and secure the 49ers’ win over the Cowboys.

Once again.

“The first half, that was the main thing is we had plenty of opportunities, but we just kept hurting ourselves,” Purdy said. “So that was the mindset, and we were able to put up some points.”

In dropping their second consecutive game to fall one game below .500, the Cowboys were led by Prescott, who had 25 of 38 completions for 243 yards and two passing TD’s. 

Andre Johnson is the award-winning Founder/Publisher & Editor In Chief of Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former reporter of sports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson primarily covers the NBA, NFL, and college football. To reach Johnson, call him at 901-690-6587 or send email to [email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist.

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