49ers explode for 21-point third quarter, then hold on late to take 30-24 win over Cowboys

It didn't happen without a bit of a scare, but the San Francisco 49ers were able to rebound from a halftime deficit and ride a 21-point third quarter to a Sunday night win over the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

After an inconsistent first half that put them in a 10-6 halftime deficit, the 49ers rebounded with an explosive third quarter that gave them three consecutive touchdowns and a 27-10 lead. The Cowboys later rallied with two fourth quarter touchdowns to bring them within six points and had a chance to put together a game-winning drive with just over three minutes left on the clock, but the 49ers responded when they needed to with a defensive stand, then ran out the remainder of the clock to head into their bye week with a 30-24 win.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 260 yards and one touchdown on 18-of-26 passing in the win while adding eight carries for 56 yards and a touchdown. Tight end George Kittle caught six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers, who also got 14 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown from rookie running back Isaac Guerendo. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 243 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions on 25-of-38 passing in the loss.

First Half

The 49ers forced the Cowboys to a punt on the opening possession of the game, then got on the scoreboard with an Anders Carlson field goal after a seven-play, 55-yard drive. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel put the 49ers deep into Cowboys' territory after a 47-yard reception from Purdy, but a holding penalty two plays later helped stall the drive and forced the 49ers to settle for a 50-yard field goal from Carlson to take a 3-0 lead.

The 49ers delivered on defense on the next possession, forcing the first takeaway of the game on an interception by safety Ji'Ayir Brown. After the Cowboys moved into 49ers territory earlier in the possession, Prescott floated a deep pass after being pressured by defensive end Nick Bosa that landed in the arms of Brown and gave the 49ers possession at their own 8-yard line.

The Cowboys forced a punt following the turnover, then took the lead on an 11-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys converted three third-down plays on the drive, then after cornerback Charvarius Ward was flagged for pass interference in the end zone, Elliott ran in with just under 11 minutes in the half to take a 7-3 lead.

A 66-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to Samuel was negated on the first play of the next possession by a holding call on tight end Eric Saubert, then the 49ers across midfield before facing a 4th-and-3 at the Cowboys' 43-yard line. A pass intended for Samuel on the fourth down fell incomplete and gave the ball back to the Cowboys on a turnover on downs. The Cowboys then drove to the 49ers' 10-yard line before the 49ers put up a third down stop and forced a 29-yard field goal attempt from Brandon Aubrey, which sailed through the uprights to give the Cowboys a 10-3 lead.

Two runs for 34 yards from Guerendo opened the next drive for the 49ers, who then faced a 1st-and-10 at the Cowboys' 41-yard line with two minutes left in the game. But a holding call on Kittle drove them back 10 yards, and three plays later the 49ers had to settle for a 44-yard field goal from Carlson to cut the lead to 10-6.

The 49ers forced a three-and-out on the next possession, which gave them the ball with three timeouts and 1:01 left in the half. A 13-yard run from Purdy and a 30-yard completion to Kittle put the 49ers at the Dallas 40-yard line with 39 seconds remaining, but a sack moved the 49ers out of field goal range, and eventually they were forced to punt back to the Cowboys, who ran out the clock to end the first half.

The 49ers finished the half with an overall yardage edge of 214 to 151 while averaging 7.6 yards per play. But penalties were costly for the 49ers, who were flagged six times in the half for 49 yards compared to three penalties for 20 yards for the Cowboys. The Cowboys also finished with 11 first downs to seven for the 49ers and converted 4-of-7 on third downs while the 49ers were 2-of-7 on third down attempts and 0-for-1 on fourth down.

Second Half

The 49ers got off to a fast start in the second half due to a series of impact plays on offense and defense. After the Cowboys were flagged for their opening kickoff falling short of the landing zone, the 49ers started on offense at their own 40-yard line and soon moved into Cowboys' territory. On a 1st-and-10 at the Cowboys' 47-yard line, Purdy connected on a pass over the middle to George Kittle, who rumbled 43 yards to the 4-yard line.

From there, Guerendo ran in from four yards out for his first NFL touchdown to give the 49ers a 13-10 lead.

On the next possession, the defense stepped up for the 49ers when cornerback Deommodore Lenoir picked off a 3rd down pass from Prescott at the Cowboys' 32-yard line. The 49ers turned the interception into a seven-play, 32-yard drive that was capped by a two-yard touchdown pass to Kittle to take a 20-10 lead halfway through the third quarter.

The 49ers held the Cowboys to a three-and-out on the next possession and then put some distance between themselves and the Cowboys with a 9-play, 75-yard drive that put them up 27-10 on a touchdown run from Purdy. A 16-yard run by Purdy on the second play of the drive followed by a 27-yard completion to Kittle put the 49ers inside the Cowboys' 30-yard line, then after runs from Guerendo and Samuel moved the ball to the 2-yard line, Purdy pushed in on a 3rd-and-Goal to give the 49ers their third touchdown of the third quarter.

The Cowboys showed signs of life on the next possession, which went 70 yards on 10 plays and ended in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb to cut the lead to 27-17. The 49ers answered with a six-play, 47-yard drive that took the clock under five minutes and ended with a 41-yard field goal from Carlson to give them a 30-17 lead.

The Cowboys got the quick response they needed on the next drive -- a 4-play, 70-yard possession that took just 53 seconds off the clock and ended in another touchdown pass from Prescott to Lamb. Prescott and Lamb connected on completions for 29 and 21 yards to move the ball to the 49ers' 20-yard line, then Prescott found Lamb wide open in the end zone for a score with 3:32 remaining in the game.

A three-and-out from the 49ers followed Lamb's touchdown, and the Cowboys got the ball back at their own 25-yard line with 3:05 on the clock and no timeouts remaining. But the 49ers came up in the clutch on defense, forcing four consecutive incompletions to create a turnover on downs that gave them the ball back with 2:43 on the clock.

Guerendo started the next possession with two short runs, then sealed the deal on third down when he ran around the left side for a big gain before sliding short of the goal line to keep the clock moving. Purdy knelt on the ball from there to run out the clock for the 49ers.

The 49ers moved to 4-4 on the season with the win and are now locked in a three-way tie atop the NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. The Cowboys fell to 3-4 with the loss.

Game Notes: The 49ers were 5-point favorites heading into Sunday night's game... The win was the fourth straight over the Cowboys for the 49ers, who moved to 21-19-1 in the series... Samuel was in the lineup after being in the hospital earlier in the week due to pneumonia, then went to the sidelines in the second half of Sunday's game with a rib injury... Kittle's sixth catch of the night was the 500th of his career... The 49ers will now head into a bye week before returning to action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, FOX) at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on November 10.

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