Tag: 2023 week 5

3 valuable lessons learned from the 49ers dismantling the Cowboys

The sky isn’t falling and the season isn’t over. It’s a reality check, but in the Cowboys horrific loss to the 49ers these lessons were learned. | From @ReidDHanson

It’s difficult to glean anything positive following a loss like the Cowboys suffered Sunday night in Santa Clara. The 49ers, Dallas’ boogieman for going on three seasons, once again established the hierarchy in the NFC, beating the Cowboys 42-10.

Now probably isn’t the time for positive takeaways anyway. Moments such as these are meant to humble. It’s the only way to accept what’s really wrong and set a plan to fix it. Besides, being on the business end of a 40-burger is supposed to induce some soul-searching.

It takes a team effort to lose that magnificently. It required offensive ineptitude, defensive turbulence and immaturity, and sadly key injuries to special teams.

One play wasn’t the issue. One player wasn’t the reason. The issues were bigger than that. But amidst the pain of the loss some valuable lessons were learned. And if acted on, the Cowboys could actually grow from such a painful event.

Don’t Look Away: Photos document Cowboys ineptness by the bay

Dallas needs to have the images of this pathetic performance etched into their memory, seared into their consciousness. So here’s the proof it happened how it happened. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Sometimes the medicine goes down easy. Hopefully, this isn’t one of those times. Cowboys Nation wakes up Monday morning absolutely dejected following the club’s performance in what they themselves billed as a statement game and measuring stick. The Cowboys traveled west of Dallas for the second time this season and for the second time this season they were embarrassed by an NFC West opponent.

While their three wins were enough to dismiss the performance in Arizona as looking past a weak opponent, their showing (or lack thereof) in San Francisco crystalizes this picture. Dallas is not good enough. It’s feast or famine with this club. When things are going right; when the playing surface is fast and they create turnovers they look like the best team in the league. But twice now, the club has been hit in the mouth and they wilted into the corner.

The 42-10 loss was the biggest defeat of Mike McCarthy’s tenure in Dallas and the worse since a 2013 blowout loss at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. It’s going to take a lot for the fanbase to move past this defeat and the players and coaches would be wise not to sweep this under the rug.

And while the 49ers appear to be the cream of the crop in the early stages of the 2023 NFL season, this will hardly be the last time Dallas has to play a strong opponent. Rather, this was the beginning of a gauntlet where the Cowboys will face off with some of the league’s best, including the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and two contests against division rival Philadelphia.

Dallas needs to have the images of this pathetic performance etched into their memory, seared into their consciousness. So here’s the proof it happened how it happened.

Twitter reacts to Cowboys abysmal, embarassing loss to Brock Purdy’s 49ers

The Cowboys believed they were arriving to forge their identity. They believed they were there to exorcise their demons from the last two seasons. They believed they deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as the San Francisco 49ers. As a wise …

The Cowboys believed they were arriving to forge their identity. They believed they were there to exorcise their demons from the last two seasons. They believed they deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as the San Francisco 49ers. As a wise man once said, you can’t believe what you know.

Dallas did not know it in their hearts they belonged on the same field as the San Francisco 49ers and spent three hours on Sunday night fulfilling the fantasies of the large portion of America that tunes in to see if Dallas will lose. With a 42-10 whooping, the Cowboys fell to 3-2. A respectable record, but Dallas disrespected themselves with their abysmal showing.  Here’s how the Twitter world responded to the performance.

Cowboys weighed, measured, found wanting in 42-10 loss to 49ers

Aesthetically, Dallas’ performance calls into question their status as a contender. Mathematically and historically, too. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys want to be contenders, but they certainly didn’t play as if they believed in themselves on Sunday night. That makes it hard for anyone else to believe in them. Returning to the scene of the crime, where they were eliminated from the postseason back in January, the Cowboys put up very little resistance as the 49ers confirmed their status as the NFL’s best team to this point in 2023.

It was a thorough whooping from start to finish, and it snowballed out of control rather early and became a total embarrassment before it was all over. If owner Jerry Jones thought this was a measuring stick game for his organization, the results were not good. The defense was horrible, the offense couldn’t convert first downs and then started turning the ball over. In the end, a 42-10 loss sends the Cowboys to 3-2 on the year.

Cowboys WR Kavontae Turpin ruled out of game with ankle injury

The Cowboys WR will miss the rest of the game after scoring the club’s first TD.

The lone wideout to have an impact in the first half will not be available for the Dallas Cowboys in the second half. Second-year pro Kavontae Turpin scored Dallas’ lone points in the first half, catching a pass from Dak Prescott for 26 yards to close the gap. However later in the second quarter, Turpin had his ankle landed on out of bounds.

Melissa Stark of NBC Sports reported on the broadcast that he would not return. This is a double blow for Dallas as Turpin is the team’s returner on both punts and kickoffs. Also reported was that special teams ace CJ Goodwin suffered a shoulder injury and his return is questionable.

WATCH: Cowboys’ offense finally gets on the board with Prescott-Turpin connection

The Cowboys got on the scoreboard but the momentum was short lived.

Things have not been going well for the Dallas Cowboys in their trip to the San Francisco Bay. After allowing a touchdown on the game’s opening possession, the teams traded fumbles deep in Dallas territory and eventually the 49ers used the short field for a second score and a 14-0 lead.

Finally, Dallas’ offense awoke. On the subsequent drive, the Cowboys finally got a first down and decided they might as well keep going down the field. Eventually they worked their way down to the SF 26-yard line and that’s when quarterback Dak Prescott found WR Kavontae Turpin streaking down the right side for the score.

The emotion would be shortlived however as the penalty prone defense allowed the 49ers to answer right back and drive the field for another touhdown.

Dallas trails 21-7 with a little more than two minutes remaining in the first half.

Cowboys-49ers inactives: Dallas OL in full force for primetime duel

The Cowboys’ intended starting offensive line is active for the first time since 2021. | From @CdBurnett7

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t fielded their starting offensive line since 2021. That changes on Sunday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers. After holding injury designations early in the week, All-Pro offensive linemen Zack Martin and Tyron Smith were full participants Thursday and Friday. Now, they’re set to take on a vaunted 49ers front.

Tight end Peyton Hendershot is still nursing an ankle injury, and he’s out again for the Dallas offense. Beyond his absence, the Cowboys are as healthy as possible in a game that feels massive so early in the season.

San Francisco is without backup running back Elijah Mitchell, but the 49ers are otherwise 100% against Dallas. Former Cowboy defensive end Randy Gregory is inactive after being traded to the 49ers during the week. It’s a heavyweight matchup in Levi’s Stadium, and here’s a full look at the inactives ahead of Cowboys-49ers, kicking off at 7:20 p.m.

Cowboys-49ers staff picks and headline predictions for Week 5: What will they say?

A look at how Cowboys and Niners Wire’s staff see the contest, with each contributor volunteering a final score and a post-game headline prediction.

The Dallas Cowboys have been waiting nine months for this opportunity. While the players and possibly the coaching staff might not have known, the rematch of the 2022 season’s divisional game was destined to happen. Thanks to the three-year rotation of intra-conference schedules, the Cowboys were going to head to the Bay no matter what.

But that doesn’t take away from the relevance of the matchup. Dallas needs this game. A loss drops them essentially three games behind the 49ers in the race for home-field advantage in the NFC. The Cowboys would need to finish ahead of San Francisco in the standings to avoid a potential road playoff matchup, so even though it’s Week 5 this is important. How confident are we they can pull off the upset.

The staff of Cowboys Wire got together and looked to predict the final score and the storyline that will be the narrative after it’s over. With a guest appearance from Niners Wire’s managing editor Kyle Madson, here’s how we think it will unfold.

Here’s why Cowboys fans should be optimistic about Brandin Cooks’ future

Cooks is off to a slow start with the Cowboys but it’s all perfectly explainable, offering reason for optimism going forward. | From @ReidDHanson

When the Cowboys first added Brandin Cooks in a March trade with the Texans, the Dallas fanbase was abuzz with excitement. Finally, they had their deep threat, their true complementary option next to CeeDee Lamb, their veteran presence and field stretcher.

Despite the instant chemistry and constant praises from training camp, things have not gotten off great start for the Cowboys and Cooks in 2023.

Entering Week 5, Cooks has just 66 receiving yards to his name. He had more yards in the first game of his rookie year (77 yards) than he has right now.

It’s by far the lowest total he’s carried into the fifth week of an NFL season and a sign the Cowboys may have overestimated the 30-year-old’s impact in this offense.

Yet, underwhelming numbers can at least partially be blamed on his absence in Week 2. But even his per-game numbers are off pace. In the three games he’s played, he’s averaged just 2.7 receptions, which puts him on pace for a little over 43 receptions for 352 yards this season (both career lows).

One could also point to the expected growing pains of just playing on a new team.

Yet, Cooks has made a career as an efficient nomad, able to pick up and settle with extraordinary efficiency four times previous to his stop in Dallas. Neither excuse seems to work.

Cause for concern?

While this situation is probably something that deserves watching, there’s reason for optimism going forward.

Cooks hasn’t been playing poorly this season. His speed, route running, and feel for zones has been as good as always in Dallas. Defenses are respecting him and dedicating resources to keep him from getting over the top. It’s opened up opportunities for others on offense and been a valuable layer to Mike McCarthy’s attack.

While the stat sheet won’t show it, Cooks is making a difference on this team in a way an average WR would not.

Circumstances also play a role. The Cowboys have been on the sunny side of three blowouts this season. This has a clear impact on the number of shots the Cowboys take downfield which understandably impact Cooks’ receiving targets.

At 46.1%, the Cowboys are currently ranked 28th in early down pass rate this season. It’s a number abnormal for the Cowboys and a McCarthy-led offense so it’s a number that’s likely to change as the season wears on.

In other words, there hasn’t been many passes in Dallas this season and since defenses have placed a lot of their attention on Cooks and his game-breaking speed, there haven’t been many balls going Cooks’ way.

His receiving drought isn’t likely to last. The Cowboys will have their work cut out for them in upcoming weeks and will need to keep the pedal down on offense as the level of competition increases.

Cooks may be in his 11th season but he’s not showing it. He’s still playing extremely well and it’s only a matter of time before that shows up on the stat sheet.

afilliatewidget_smgtolocal]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

55-man roster, Week 5 elevations reveal Cowboys moves at LB, TE

A look at the Cowboys’ roster they’ll choose from for the Week 5 battle against the San Francisco 49ers. | From @KDDrummondNFL

While so much has changed surrounding the health status of the Dallas Cowboys’ roster over the past week, it isn’t being reflected in their roster decisions for their Week 5 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Dallas will finally have their full compliment of offensive linemen, but despite still being short-handed against the New England Patriots the club didn’t elevate any OL to the active roster last week. Instead they worried about their tight end and linebacker depth.

It’s funny, as entering the season those were the three biggest depth-related question marks and they’ve been the story of the injury report throughout the first quarter of the season. Low and behold, in Week 5 the club is once again elevating a linebacker and a tight end to give them some extra warm bodies for this crucial matchup on Sunday Night Football. Here’s a rundown of the 53-man roster, and the two elevations.

Quarterbacks (3)
Running Backs (4)
Wideouts (6)
Tight Ends (4)
Offensive Tackles (3)
Offensive Guards (4)
Centers (2)

Defensive Ends (5)
Defensive Tackles (5)
Linebacker (4)
Cornerbacks (5)
Safeties (6)

Special Teams (4)