Maiocco’s Observations: Kittle, Purdy torch Cowboys in 49ers’ win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — The 49ers head into the bye week with a bit of momentum and a share of the NFC West lead.
The 49ers struggled through the first half Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys but turned it around on offense and defense to cruise to a crucial 30-24 victory at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers pulled away with a third-quarter surge to pick up their fourth consecutive victory against the Cowboys over three seasons — a streak that includes two postseason wins.
The victory moves the 49ers 4-4 on the 2024 NFL season, which puts them into a first-place tie with the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. The Los Angeles Rams are just a half-game back with a 3-4 record.
Here are the takeaways from the 49ers’ decisive victory that came in front of a national television audience during “Sunday Night Football” on NBC:
Purdy’s Bounce-back Game
Brock Purdy did not allow himself to remain as a quarterback in crisis for very long.
Purdy, coming off one of the worst starts of his young NFL career, bounced back in a big way on Sunday night against the Cowboys.
He completed 18 of 26 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions and a passer rating of 114.3.
The 49ers struggled in the first half but scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter to seize control of the game.
Purdy’s 2-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle gave the 49ers a 20-10 lead with 7:14 remaining in the third quarter.
He also did some damage with his legs, as he gained 56 yards and a touchdown on eight rushing attempts.
Purdy entered the game with some new questions from the few doubters who remain.
He threw three interceptions with no touchdowns and a lowly passer rating of 36.7 — the lowest of his NFL career — in the 49ers’ 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.
Against the Cowboys, Purdy got back to his old ways of efficient and winning football.
Turning It Around On Third Downs
The 49ers were bad on third downs in their first seven games.
And they were even worse in the early portion of Sunday night.
The Cowboys converted four of their first five third-down opportunities to take a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter.
It appeared to be a continuation of an alarming trend for the 49ers, who came into the game allowing the opposition to convert 45.6 percent of their third-down plays.
But the 49ers turned it around in a big way.
The 49ers’ defense ended the first half on a high note when defensive end Sam Okuayinonu pressured Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott into an incomplete pass on a good pressure on third-and-3 from the Dallas 40-yard line with one minute left in the second quarter.
In the second half, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir picked off Prescott on a third-down play. That takeaway set up a 49ers touchdown drive.
And, later, Okuayinonu sacked Prescott on a third-and-5 situation.
In the first season of the Shanahan regime in 2017, the 49ers’ defense allowed third-down conversions 43.0 percent of the time. Over the next six seasons, the opponents’ third-down percentages against the 49ers was 40.3, 33.3, 35.5, 40.0, 39.0 and 40.9.
This season, the 49ers have been up and down. And against the Cowboys, the arrow was pointing up after a tough start. The 49ers stopped Dallas on their final five third-down attempts.
Pearsall Joins High-powered Passing Game
Ricky Pearsall made his first NFL start and got into the action from the second play of the game.
The 49ers need some major contributions from Pearsall, the team’s first-round draft pick, for the remainder of the season with Brandon Aiyuk sidelined.
The 49ers got strong contributions from Purdy’s top two targets, Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Kittle was the preferred target on Sunday night, as he caught six passes for 128 yards. Samuel added four catches for 71 yards.
Samuel also had a 66-yard touchdown catch from Purdy wiped out due to a holding penalty on tight end Eric Saubert.
Pearsall was integrated into the 49ers’ passing game. He caught four passes for 38 yards as the team looks for ways to compensate for the loss of Aiyuk.
Pearsall also contributed the 49ers’ longest run of the game when he took a jet-sweep handoff for a 39-yard gain in the fourth quarter.
Aiyuk was the 49ers’ top receiver both of the past two seasons. He sustained a season-ending knee injury in the 49ers’ Week 7 game against Kansas City. He is set to undergo surgery on the ACL of his right knee in the near future.
Pearsall caught three passes for 21 yards in his NFL debut last week against Kansas City. He spent the first six weeks of the season on the reserve/non-football injury list after being shot through the chest during an armed robbery attempt on Aug. 31.
Pearsall spent less than 24 hours in the hospital but had to regain range of motion due to the scar tissue that formed at the route the bullet took from his right chest area and out his back.
