Game Recap: Third quarter dooms Cowboys, 30-24

Things looked promising. The Dallas Cowboys were matching the San Francisco 49ers blow for blow. They scored the only touchdown in the first half. They even took a lead into halftime.

And then the third quarter whistle blew.

With that, the second half and thus the game took a dramatic turn. The 49ers came out of the locker room and simply dominated the Cowboys, scoring 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. Dallas was able to mount a rally in the fourth frame, but the hole was just too deep to dig out of. In the end, it was another loss to their NFC nemesis, 30-24.

Desperately needing a good game from Dak Prescott, the Cowboys instead saw an up-and-down effort from their quarterback. Under intense pressure throughout the night, he completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. But he also had two interceptions, resulting in a 79.2 passer rating.

CeeDee Lamb was his primary focus as Prescott targeted him 17 times for 13 catches, both of which equaled Lamb's career highs. With all that work, the star receiver totaled 146 receiving yards, the seventh-highest total of his career and his first time topping the century mark this season. He also hauled in two touchdown grabs, his eighth career multi-score game.

With the offensive line struggling up front, once again the Cowboys' ground game was anemic. Dalvin Cook made his debut in the backfield, but he managed only 12 yards on six carries while Ezekiel Elliott had 34 yards on 10 tries. On the whole, the team averaged just 2.0 yards per carry.

Of course, those struggles on the line of scrimmage weren't just felt on the offensive side of the ball. Although the Cowboys' defensive line started strong, they wore down as the game went along, eventually surrendering 223 rushing yards, the 49ers averaging 6.2 yards per carry.

Behind center, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy had a relatively easy time of it. He threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while completing 69.2 percent of his passes for a 114.3 rating. He also ran for another 56 yards and a touchdown. And George Kittle continued to be a pain in the Cowboys' collective side. The tight end caught six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.

Overall, Dallas was outgained 469 yards to 292 and lost the time of possession, 33:12 to 26:48.

First Quarter

Having struggled to get out of the gate fast in their previous games, the Cowboys needed to get off to a strong start in this one. Alas, they again didn't.

The 49ers took their first possession and went 55 yards in seven plays to reach the Dallas 32-yard line. The big blow was a 47-yard pass to Deebo Samuel, but the Cowboys defense limited the damage, as the 49ers had to settle for a 50-yard field goal. Dallas has now allowed its opponents to pick up points on their first drive in every game this season.

Unfortunately, though, after punting on the game's opening possession, the Cowboys then responded by turning the ball over on their second series. On first-and-10 at the San Francisco 45-yard line, Prescott wanted to go deep to KaVontae Turpin down the left sideline, but Nick Bosa prevented the quarterback from stepping into his throw, the result being an interception by 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown.

Second Quarter

But as the clock ticked over into the second frame, the Cowboys got their offense moving with gains of 15, 11 and 10 yards that pushed Dallas to the 49ers' 10-yard line. After a San Francisco pass interference penalty put the ball on the 1, Elliott then completed the drive with a burst off left guard for the touchdown and a 7-3 lead.

The Cowboys caught a break when a 66-yard catch-and-run by Samuel for an apparent touchdown was instead called back due to a holding penalty. Dallas regrouped to force a punt and Prescott and company then drove into the red zone again, this time relying on a 29-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey for three more points.

San Francisco would respond with a field goal of its own before the half would come to an end. The 49ers would come up short on a third-and-15 from the Cowboys' 36-yard line, left to kick a 44-yard field goal this time around.

With 1:24 left in the quarter, Dallas had a chance to add some points, but some questionable play-calling and clock management actually gave the home side one more chance. However, the defense did its job, allowing the Cowboys to go into the break with a 10-6 advantage.

Third Quarter

The 49ers didn't waste any time taking back the lead when the second half got underway. They were able to start at their own 40-yard line when Aubrey's kickoff didn't reach the landing zone. Then a 43-yard catch by Kittle put running back Isaac Guerendo in position to run the ball in from 4 yards out for the touchdown.

Things, though, went from bad to worse for Dallas. On third-and-4 at his own 17-yard line, Prescott tried to thread a pass to Lamb on the left sideline, only to have cornerback Deommodore Lenoir making a leaping interception. Now set up at Dallas' 32-yard line, the 49ers were soon across the goal-line for another score. Kittle hauled in a 2-yard pass for the touchdown and a 10-point lead, the Cowboys having given up 17 consecutive points.

With the Dallas offense still unable to do much, punting on a quick three-and-out, the 49ers came right back and recorded their third touchdown of the quarter. Purdy led his crew 75 yards in nine plays, completing passes of 27 and 16 yards with a 16-yard scramble as well. Fittingly, he then got the scoring honors by sneaking into the end zone from the 2-yard line to up San Francisco's lead to 27-10.

While the 49ers were racking up those 21 points in the third frame, Dallas managed only 16 yards of offense.

Fourth Quarter

But the Cowboys weren't going to go down without a fight. Finally, they got back on track offensively, working their way 60 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. They got help along the way with a 19-yard pass interference penalty on the 49ers, but Prescott also threw for 57 yards during the drive. The clutch moment came when he hit Turpin for 16 yards on a fourth-and-4 at the San Francisco 45-yard line. A 7-yard pass to Lamb brought the points and cut the deficit to 27-17.

The 49ers tacked on another three points with a 41-yard field goal, but Dallas came right back. The Prescott-Lamb connection was firing on all cylinders now as the pair connected three times for 50 yards during the possession. The last of those saw Prescott find a wide-open Lamb in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown toss, the team now down only six, 30-24, with 3:32 to play.

Sadly, their luck would run out. The Cowboys got the ball back one more time, but were unable to generate a first down. San Francisco was then able to run out the clock, Dallas' losing streak to the 49ers extended to four games.