Niners Nation
The offense is leaving tons of yards on the field
Dallas made it into 49ers field position on the next drive. Malik Mustapha made two tremendous plays on the ball. One was a broken pass in the end zone, and the other was a jarring hit. The Cowboys were fortunate to recover their second fumble and attempt a short field goal. Brandon Aubrey’s kick was good to make the score 10-3.
The offense had a chance to double-dip. With under three minutes remaining in the second quarter, they had the ball and would receive it to start the third quarter. Isaac Guerendo gave the offense a much-needed spark, with gains of 15 and 19 yards to begin the drive.
Mason was questionable to return with a shoulder injury.
Guerendo had another long rush, but it was negated by a Kittle holding call. Then, Samuel dropped a screen pass that looked like he had a room on the 2nd & 20. Then, Purdy’s pass to Guerendo underneath was inaccurate, causing him to go off balance.
Carlson’s kick from 44 yards was good to trim the lead to 10-6. The 49ers averaged 7.7 yards per play on four drives and had only six points to show for it.
The opportunities 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 as though receivers were consistently open on each drive. Yet, the scoreboard didn’t reflect the box score.
The defense came up with a much-needed stop, giving the offense a chance to add points with under a minute to play. Jacob Cowing was hit as the defender flew into him and kicked Cowing’s knee, but it wasn’t called.
Kittle caught a 30-yarder, but Purdy fumbled then missed Chris Conley on 3rd & 17, costing the chance for the offense to add points. It was 10-6 at half.
