The Dallas Cowboys must rebuild after a humbling 42–10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and Micah Parsons will spearhead the unity of the team.
It was a sloppy showing by all three phases of the game for the Cowboys, and although the offense only scored six of the 10 points for the team, Dallas’ defense let up and allowed 42 points on the board.
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What Happened to the Dallas Cowboys’ Defense?
One of the main issues was that the 49ers made Parsons a nonfactor. They went straight at the edge rusher all night, wearing him out and not allowing him a chance to pressure Brock Purdy.
But this doesn’t impact what Parsons thinks of the team around him.
“I don’t think [the 49ers] are at a higher level than us. I think we’re the same caliber playoff team. Same talent. Same standards. I just feel like we need to reconsider …and fix some things. …The score doesn’t really show what happened out there,” said Parsons.
“There were a lot of lessons to be learned in this game on both sides of the ball. But overall, the lion is keeping a positive mindset saying, “I’ve never seen a champion not be battle tested. We’re just getting tested early…There’s no such thing as losing, we learn. Tonight, we just learned a lesson…Sometimes you got to look at these losses as a blessing and just say thank you.”
Lack of Offense
So, what led to the team’s second loss of the season when it comes to the defensive side of the ball?
The Cowboys’ offense had four three-and-outs in the game, not allowing the defense to rest. Dak Prescott also had three interceptions, which didn’t give the unit a break.
Overall, the 49ers had the ball for 33:05 of the game, which will put wear and tear on any defense having to play that much.
Penalties
Penalties were another giant momentum-killer, especially for the defense when it led to multiple scoring drives for San Francisco.
Defensive penalties included the facemask and unnecessary roughness penalties on Donovan Wilson and the defensive offsides penalties on Parsons and Jayron Kearse.
Self-inflicted wounds have plagued the team in both losses this season.
49ers Played a Great Game
Lastly, the 49ers’ offense had a great game. Purdy had a 70.8 completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 144.4. The offensive line neutralized the pass rush and reduced any pressure on Purdy.
Not only does San Francisco have playmakers as their starters, but also within the depth of multiple rooms. They remain 5-0 because of their talent and how head coach Kyle Shanahan operates the team.
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After the game, Shanahan said he knew the team was locked in earlier this week.
“Just watching them Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, they were so locked in all week they didn’t make too big of a deal of this game. They seemed so ready to go, and from a coaching perspective, we didn’t feel like we had to do much all week but coach them, show them the film, put on the game plan, and our guys were ready.”