The Dallas Cowboys' hollow comeback attempt against the 49ers isn't fooling anyone

The Dallas Cowboys were not expected to win in Sunday night's showdown against the San Francisco 49ers. Few were surprised when they trailed 27-10 at the end of the third quarter. While Dallas almost managed a comeback in the fourth, the rest of the game made it far more clear where this team was and what lay ahead for a struggling, underequipped team.

The biggest surprise of the night was that the Cowboys took a 10-6 halftime lead. The Niners had shot themselves in the foot more than once in the first half, thanks largely to some crucial drops from Deebo Samuel. It wasn't that Dallas' defense made a bold statement; Only San Francisco is struggling with execution and still trying to find consistency without RB Christian McCaffrey or WR Brandon Aiyuk in the lineup.

Rhythm returned with a 21-0 run that seemed to decide the game. This felt like the matchups between the 49ers and Cowboys in recent years, where the offense showed its will and Dallas lacked cohesion when they got the ball. Beyond that matchup, it felt like the Cowboys were mishandled in their other losses to the Lions, Ravens and Saints, as well as the Packers' playoff exit in 2023.

Nobody, not even the 49ers, expected the comeback in the fourth quarter. And that's really why it happened; San Francisco was already in prevention mode and clearly no longer took the Cowboys seriously. The proven All-Pro connection between QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb took advantage of the complacency, and suddenly the 49ers looked like Apollo Creed in the first round of his first fight with Rocky.

But don't be fooled by what Dallas almost accomplished, because most opponents won't make that mistake. Beating the Cowboys is old hat for the 49ers and they have every reason to disrespect us. They only needed a quarter of competent football to make the game another laugh. When they got up between midnight and 10am, they simply became sleepy and bored.

The problems that have plagued the Cowboys all season were still there on the final drive. Mike McCarthy's unimaginative offensive plan left poor options for Prescott, who threw four straight incompletions to prevent the comeback. While he did throw a dime to KaVontae Turpin on one try, putting the game in Turpin's suspicious hands was hardly the optimal solution.

This game was much more about the hole Dallas found itself in than it was about almost getting out of it. How sad is it that Ezekiel Elliott averaging 3.4 yards per carry felt like progress? Watching rookie RB Isaac Guerendo rush 85 yards after Jordan Mason's injury rubbed salt in the wound; Another guy the Cowboys missed in the 2024 draft. And while the passing game found some redemption toward the end, Prescott's devastating interceptions when the 49ers were still playing defense were more devastating.

The worst part was that this wasn't even a typical NFC-leading San Francisco team. After beating Dallas and battling their own issues and injuries, they are now just 4-4. What's really scary is that the next four games against the Falcons, Eagles, Texans and Commanders all feel like losses; At the moment they are probably all better teams than the Niners. None of them, especially the NFC East rivals, will let the Cowboys down.

It's becoming increasingly clear that no matter how motivated or prepared the Dallas team is, they just don't have what it takes this year. Their right tackle sabotages the offense and injuries have neutered the defense. Things could get better on that side of the ball once Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland return, but they won't be able to do much to address their chronic weakness against the run.

The biggest missing piece of all is the head coach. McCarthy is clearly no longer familiar with the modern game and no longer knows how to best play to his offense's strengths and mitigate its weaknesses. There is too much emphasis on Dak Prescott's leadership because his head coach has absolutely none of it. When his boss denounced the offensive plan and the rules of the game last week, McCarthy's reaction was as muted as his performance.

Nothing about this season says that there are any good concepts or plays. Yes, players have to execute and that has been a problem at times. But predictable routes, lack of creativity, and poor run-versus-pass decisions come down to design and game play. You can see this team's life dwindling with every stalled drive, and the head coach's blank expression only grows more boring.

To be fair, Jerry Jones should keep his mouth shut about how anyone does their job. The front office created this mess in the offseason through their own negligence. Scapegoating McCarthy is just one step further than insulting members of the media who ask tough questions.

If they intentionally mortgaged 2024 to set up the team for the future, then they just own it. Get into tank mode, trade up for picks whoever you can, and stop acting like this team should be something you never really planned on being this season. The 49ers only played for one quarter last game and that was enough to put Dallas away. Better competition and greater embarrassment are just around the corner.

The Dallas Cowboys are currently down as they lack the resources and repair team to do anything about it before the offseason. Until then, unless Jones surprises us by firing McCarthy, all we can do is ride this out and hope that young players like Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, DeMarvion Overshown and others get valuable reputations to build on . If 2024 is a lost cause, now is the time to exhaust everything possible to make future seasons more competitive.