Niners Nation
For a quarter, the 49ers played complementary football. But that quarter highlighted what this team is capable of
The San Francisco 49ers did what they were supposed to on Sunday night, beating the Dallas Cowboys 30-24. Linebacker Fred Warner said the team made it closer than it should have been, but a win is a win.
The Niners averaged nearly eight yards per play in the first half. Brock Purdy's missed throws and penalties by the offense left what felt like multiple scores on the table. The defense did its job to keep the offense in the game.
Then, the script flipped. The offense got going late in the game, but the defense forgot to guard CeeDee Lamb. There were no special teams blunders, which might have been the difference in the game.
Let’s look at the winners and losers from Sunday night.
Kittle will go down as one of the all-time greats in franchise history. He caught six of his seven targets for 128 yards, averaging over 21 yards per reception. The YAC bros were out in full force, as 73 of his 128 yards came after the catch. Kittle led all pass catchers in Week 8 in yards after the catch over expected with +41.
Kudos to Kyle Shanahan for scheming Kittle open, as he averaged almost five yards of separation per target.
Purdy didn’t see the field well early on. He was tentative, hesitant, and aiming his passes instead of letting it rip. During the two-minute drill before the end of the first half, Purdy finally used his legs to get out of trouble.
That helped settle Brock in, and it led to the quarterback playing the way Shanahan and the offense needed him to for them to execute.
Purdy rushed for a season-high 56 yards — one yard off his career-high — as he had 14 more rushing yards than the next closest quarterback in Week 8. Whenever Purdy scrambles, good things tend to follow. In this case, it resulted in the 49ers scoring on four of their next five drives — including three touchdowns.
Purdy finished with 51 yards on five scrambles with a 100 percent success rate and a career-high +14 rushing yards over expected. He had three first downs on scrambles and now has the second-most scrambles for first downs in the NFL heading into Monday night.
In four red zone trips, the Niners manufactured three touchdowns.
The offense didn’t reach the red zone until the second half. Kittle’s 43-yard gain made it 1st & goal from Dallas’s four-yard line. Isaac Guerendo scored on the ensuing play.
After a Deommodore Lenoir interception, it was 1st & goal from the seven-yard line. Shanahan drew up a pick play, and Kittle was the recipient of a wide-open touchdown.
The most difficult score came on the third trip when it was 1st and goal from the nine. Guerendo only gained a yard on...
