Dallas Cowboys Outrageous Claim: 'We're Still Same as 49ers,' Micah Parsons Boasts; Top 10 Observations
A week after beating a one-win team by 35 points, the Dallas Cowboys were exposed by a zero-loss team by 32.
In a signature game and with a prime-time chance to prove they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender, the Cowboys were mauled physically. The question now is what will the San Francisco 49ers' 42-10 beatdown - Dallas' worst loss in the history of the storied rivalry - do to its psyche?
10. TRUTH HURTS - Nick Bosa is better than Micah Parsons. Brock Purdy is better than Dak Prescott. Kyle Shanahan is better than Mike McCarthy. And the 49ers are better - decidedly - than the Cowboys. Said the Cowboys' coach, “It’s a punch in the gut. It’s a kick in the ass. I’m not a burn the tape guy. I think that’s a crock of sh*t. … But I didn’t see this coming.” It's the worst loss of McCarthy's Cowboys career and the second-worst in his 17 years as an NFL head coach.
9. OCTOBER ODDITY - Records this month: Texas Rangers 4-1; Dallas Cowboys 1-1. On a shocking Sunday, the Rangers out-scored the Cowboys, 11-10.
8. TEXAS TOAST OFFENSE - The Cowboys entered with a new plan, and with the bonus of their five best offensive linemen finally playing together. None of that mattered, however, as their offense was again dominated by the 49ers' bruising defense. No hiding from this: In the last 12 quarters and 34 possessions against San Francisco, the Cowboys have produced only four touchdowns and 39 points.
7. MORE WALK, LESS TALK - With his own podcast and a chatty answer for every microphone, Parsons has become one of the league's most visible players. But with the spotlight comes scrutiny. Micah was a non-factor in the blowout, recording only one harmless quarterback pressure as his once-vaunted defense allowed six touchdowns and 42 points. A flop like this on a stage that big is enough to harpoon any momentum he was garnering for MVP.
And yet, after the game, with Micah? More talk. Even now.
Said Parsons, outrageously: "I don't think [the 49ers] are at a higher level than us. I think we're the same caliber playoff team. Same talent. Same standards. ... The score doesn't really show what happened out there."
6. DAK-TRACKING - In a game in which his team was whipped in every phase, it's unfair to put it all on Prescott. But the ledger is the ledger, nonetheless: Purdy is 10-0 as a starter in the NFL; Prescott is 2-3 as a starter against the 49ers. He keeps saying the right things, but rarely backs them up by doing the right things. In the wake of another off-target performance littered with interceptions on three consecutive second-half drives, Dak's "This one's on me" and "This will motivate me" and "I promise I'll get better" is starting to ring nauseatingly hollow. Dak "completed" as many passes to San Francisco defenders (three) as he did to Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup (two) and Brandin Cooks (one) combined.
5. STRANGE START - Of all the star power on both sides of the ball in this one, peculiar at best that NBC began its broadcast with a scripted sideline "report" on ... Trey Lance?
George Kittle scores one of his three TDs in a rout of the Cowboys.
4. LOUD AND CLEAR - In a showdown "message" game, the Cowboys delivered an embarrassing whisper. While Prescott and McCarthy attempted to downplay the game all week, owner Jerry Jones admitted it was "substantive.” That, of course, makes this a substantive defeat.
3. TAKETH AWAY, GIVETH BACK - Cowboys' cornerback Jourdan Lewis made what felt like a game-changing play when he stripped Christian McCaffrey and recovered the fumble in Dallas' 5-yard line early in the second quarter. But after a sack of Prescott and a punt, on Dallas' next defensive snap Lewis was fooled and beaten by San Francisco's double-reverse pitchback that resulted in George Kittle's 38-yard touchdown and a 14-0 margin.
2. TELL-TALE SIGN - In their three losses to the Niners the Cowboys have been out-gained on the ground by a startling 452-210, including 170-57 Sunday night. San Francisco's domination starts in the trenches.
1. STRIKE THREE - We've cringed through this movie enough times to know the outcome. San Francisco runs the ball better, takes care of the ball better and tackles better than Dallas. Twice in the playoffs and now once in a regular-season marquee matchup, the Cowboys have proven they have neither the plan nor the personnel to beat the 49ers.
