The Dallas Cowboys used their running game to take a 10-3 halftime lead, but the San Francisco 49ers reserves made the most of their opportunity in the second half. San Francisco outscored Dallas 17-3 after the break to win the NFL preseason contest by a 20-13 final score.
San Francisco won outright as +6 road underdogs“oddly, it was their first pointspread cover of the NFL preseason despite their undefeated straight up record. Dallas ATS mark at 1-2 is identical to their straight up record.
Despite the setback, Dallas was excited about the play of their one-two combination at running back–Felix Jones and Marion Barber. After the game, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett commented on his running backs:
„They’re a great combination. You don’t want to pigeonhole one as being this kind of back and the other guy being this kind of back. We just like to get them out there and let them play and they both have proven they can run both inside and outside and they can catch the ball, and they can block and do all those things. It’s just fun to see them get their opportunities.“
Dallas starting QB Tony Romo moved the team well, but missed a couple of scoring opportunities. He gave a reserved assessment of his offense after the game:
„We’re continuing to grow as an offense and I think there is a lot of room for improvement.
Niners QB Shaun Hill had a lot of reservations about his teams performance despite the outright victory:
„I would have liked for it to have gone a bit smoother than it did. You can’t tell a whole lot right now. I just wish we could have put a few more points on the board. … There’s just certain plays out there that we need to make, but we didn’t. They were stopping those drives. Obviously, we have a lot of work yet to be done.
The 49ers will conclude their NFL preseason schedule on Friday night as they travel south to play the San Diego Chargers. Dallas will play the Vikings at Minnesota in their final preseason contest.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.