The San Francisco 49ers celebrated an important 30:24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the Sunday Night Game of Week 8 of the NFL season, moving their record to 4-4. Tight end George Kittle made “National Tight Ends Day” his very own holiday.
After the 49ers trailed 6:10 at halftime, Kittle put in an impressive performance in the second half of the game and provided decisive momentum. Immediately after halftime, he caught a 43-yard pass that put San Francisco in a favorable position and led to Isaac Guerendo’s touchdown run. This sparked a 21-point run for the 49ers, with Kittle scoring a 2-yard touchdown of his own, marking the historic 175th catch by a tight end that day – a new NFL record.
In a strong third quarter, San Francisco scored touchdowns on each of its first three offensive series, which was largely due to Kittle’s performance. He also gained further space with a 27-yard catch on the next drive, laying the foundation for the successful drive. In the final quarter, when Dallas started to catch up, the 49ers only managed one field goal, but Kittle’s actions in the second half had already turned the tide. San Francisco built a lead that could not be overtaken even by the Cowboys’ late defense.
Dallas falls to 3-4 record
Dallas, on the other hand, couldn’t get its offense going for a long time and ended up with a 3-4 record after their second defeat in a row. The Cowboys remained unanswered by the 49ers offense until eight minutes left before wide receiver CeeDee Lamb scored a touchdown to bring the team within six points. But when the Cowboys had a chance to turn the game around on the final drive of the game, quarterback Dak Prescott failed with four incomplete passes in a row. Prescott’s performance continues to be inconsistent this season, and the Cowboys’ running game once again disappointed.
The 49ers, on the other hand, showed that they can count on their running game despite the absence of star running back Christian McCaffrey. Rookie Isaac Guerendo filled the void with 85 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Brock Purdy also contributed 56 rushing yards. With a stable defense that defended their lead in the final phase and a consistently strong performance in the running game, the 49ers secured an important victory. Even though San Francisco came under pressure shortly before the end, the team remained confident and took advantage of Kittle and Guerendo’s efforts to achieve a narrow but deserved 30:24 victory. The touchdowns were scored for San Francisco by quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Guerendo and Kittle – for the Cowboys, running back Ezekiel Elliott was there once and Lamb twice for six points.
Week 8 at a glance
- Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Rams 20:30
- Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns 24:29
- Tennessee Titans @ Detroit Lions 14:52
- Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans 20:23
- Green Bay Packers @ Jacksonville Jaguars 30:27
- Arizona Cardinals @ Miami Dolphins 28:27
- New York Jets @ New England Patriots 22:25
- Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31:26
- Philadelphia Eagles @ Cincinnati Bengals 37:17
- New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Chargers 8:26
- Buffalo Bills @ Seattle Seahawks 31:10
- Chicago Bears @ Washington Commanders 15:18
- Carolina Panthers @ Denver Broncos 14:28
- Kansas City Chiefs @ Las Vegas Raiders 27:20
- Dallas Cowboys @ San Francisco 49ers 24:30
- New York Giants @ Pittsburgh Steelers -:-
About the author
Dirk Kaiser
Dirk Kaiser has been active in the field of American football on many levels for over 20 years. In addition to the NFL, he also covers the ELF and GFL for TOUCHDOWN24.
