The San Francisco 49ers escaped with a hard-fought 30-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in a Sunday Night Football thriller, largely thanks to the heroics of star tight end George Kittle on his self-proclaimed “holiday,” National Tight Ends Day. Despite a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Cowboys, the 49ers managed to hold on and even their record at 4-4 heading into a much-needed bye week.
Kittle’s Dominant Display
On a night when the 49ers were missing several key offensive weapons due to injury, including running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings, it was Kittle who stepped up and delivered a massive performance. The All-Pro tight end, who was dealing with a sprained foot that limited him in practice throughout the week, finished the game with six receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Kittle’s impressive outing moved him into elite company in the 49ers’ record books. He became just the fifth player in franchise history to reach 500 career receptions and surpassed Gene Washington and Dwight Clark to climb into third place on the team’s all-time receiving yards list with 6,777, trailing only Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens.
“He’s a warrior. There’s a lot of guys in this league who wouldn’t play through the things he plays through every year. And for him to play the best tight end in the league on national tight ends day while he’s battling things, just shows how much of a beast he is.”
– Nick Bosa on George Kittle’s toughness and performance
Late-Game Drama
The 49ers appeared to be in control, leading 27-10 entering the fourth quarter. However, the Cowboys refused to go quietly, scoring two quick touchdowns to trim the deficit to just three points with 3:05 remaining. San Francisco’s offense sputtered, giving Dallas one final chance to complete the comeback.
With the game on the line, it was the 49ers’ defense that rose to the occasion. Led by an impassioned Fred Warner, who expressed his frustration with the team’s inability to close out games earlier this season, San Francisco forced four straight incompletions from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to seal the victory.
“Really, our captain (Warner), he was just expressing to us this is not fixing to happen again and we are going to win this game on defense. That was a big testimony to us finishing. What we’ve needed to do this whole season.”
– Deommodore Lenoir on Fred Warner’s leadership and the defense’s final stand
Looking Ahead
For the 49ers, the narrow win over the Cowboys marked their fourth consecutive victory against Dallas, including the playoffs, and provided a much-needed boost heading into their bye week. San Francisco hopes to use the extra rest to get key players like McCaffrey, Jennings, and kicker Jake Moody back from injury in time for a Nov. 10 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Additionally, the 49ers could be active before the Nov. 5 trade deadline, as they have made at least one pre-deadline deal in every season except 2018 since head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over in 2017. The team figures to be on the lookout for reinforcements, particularly along the defensive line.
“We can be whoever we want. Honestly, I think it’s after the bye, it’s 0-0. We’re at .500 right now. I think we’re a game back from being first in the division … but we have everything ahead of us.”
– Fred Warner on the 49ers’ outlook for the rest of the season
As the 49ers enter the second half of the season, they’ll look to build upon the momentum generated by their thrilling Sunday night victory over the Cowboys. With George Kittle leading the way and the potential for key players to return from injury, San Francisco has its sights set on another deep playoff run.
