49ers vs. Cowboys: Full Report Card Grades for San Francisco
The San Francisco 49ers made their first move toward the postseason after defeating the Dallas Cowboys 28-17 in Week 1 of the 2014 NFL season.
Taking to the road proved to be no challenge for the 49ers as they looked to put the shadows of a turbulent offseason and training camp behind them.
While the storylines surrounding Aldon Smith and Ray McDonald will continue to follow the team for weeks to come, San Francisco's primary focus was to win in Week 1.
They did so, and it is a step in the right direction.
Dallas' defense was a liability entering the season. Last year, the Cowboys ranked toward the bottom in nearly almost every defensive category. It fell to Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers coaching staff to take full advantage of this.
Establishing the running game was paramount to success, but we didn't see much of this until the second half. Thankfully, Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde were able to make their respective impacts felt. This in turn opened up the passing game for quarterback Colin Kaepernick and a vastly improved receiving corps in comparison to a year ago.
Kaepernick and the offense were benefited by a Cowboys team that turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions by quarterback Tony Romo.
The Cowboys were still able to do some damage against a once-elite 49ers defense that was—and will continue to be—without the services of linebackers Smith and NaVorro Bowman. Running back DeMarco Murray totaled 118 yards rushing, adding a touchdown in the process.
Still, this was not enough.
But one has to remember that Dallas gave up 35 sacks last year, and their own offensive line suffered a number of miscues as well. San Francisco's pass-rushers, led by Justin Smith, got to Romo three times over the course of the game.
Getting off on the right foot is exactly what this 49ers team needed. Thankfully, they were able to accomplish this against a weak Cowboys team that is merely looking to improve upon a lackluster season a year ago.
Let's break down San Francisco's unit-based performances from this game and provide some takeaways as the 49ers prepare for their home opener in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick saw relatively little action during the preseason.
This was to be expected, as head coach Jim Harbaugh elected to rest the vast majority of his starters in preparation for the regular season.
But as Doug Williams of NBC Bay Area pointed out prior to Week 1, Kaepernick and the first-team offense looked out of sync for the entirety of the preseason.
How would this translate to the regular season?
Kaepernick experienced some pressure early on as the Dallas defense was able to rush him out of the pocket. Still, Kaepernick was able to find tight end Vernon Davis twice during the game for San Francisco touchdowns.
In all, Kaepernick completed 16 passes out of 23 attempts for 201 yards with two touchdowns against zero interceptions.
"Colin Kaepernick throws a 90 mph fastball with the flick of his wrist, and it’s a 29-yard TD to Vernon Davis.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) September 7, 2014"
Early on, Kaepernick faced a bit of pressure from Dallas' pass-rushers, but his evasions proved critical in maintaining San Francisco's offensive rhythm.
"Here's what we learned from #SFvsDAL opener, including @Kaepernick7's season debut. READ: http://t.co/z0m4R90glh pic.twitter.com/xt2xL0eAjC
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 7, 2014"
Any talk of Kaepernick's woes during the preseason may very well have been put to rest after his strong showing in Week 1. He may not have posted 300-plus yards, but Kaepernick did everything he needed to do in order to secure a 49ers win.
Grade: A-
Running Back
2 of 10
Vincent Frank of Fox Sports suggested that Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde would dominate the Cowboys defense in this matchup.
"Cowboys shade double coverage to VD with McClain & Church and that leaves Boldin/Crabs in single. Utilize dime, Gore/Hyde will dominate.
— Vincent Frank (@VincentFrankNFL) September 2, 2014"
He was right.
In spite of Dallas' woes defending against the pass, the 49ers stuck to what has made them so successful in recent seasons: the running game. In spite of Dallas' front seven doing a good job to limit ground gains in the first half, Gore and Hyde kept punishing the defense.
This was the apparent method of operation San Francisco employed in the second half. They already had an established lead by that point, so the name of the game was moving the ball on the ground.
Prior to the game, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett stated in a conference call with 49ers reporters:
"We just have to do our best to try to sort out what we think they’re going to do and then adjust once the game starts. And that’s no different for any team when you’re playing the opening game. ... That’s a challenge we all have in Week 1 and the early part of the season as teams start to figure out what their identities are.
"
Who are the 49ers? They are a run-first team, and Dallas once again showed that it was incapable of stopping this approach, especially when they were worn out late in the game.
Gore netted 63 yards on 16 carries, while Hyde posted 50 yards on seven carries plus a touchdown in his much-anticipated NFL regular-season debut.
"TOUCHDOWN 49ers! Carlos Hyde with a 4-yard run for his first NFL score. Welcome to the NFL, rookie.
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 7, 2014"
The running game epitomized San Francisco's offense in the second half, allowing Kaepernick to smartly utilize his receiving weapons when the Cowboys' defense was cheating against the run.
In total, the 49ers' backs combined for 113 yards on the ground with one touchdown. Those numbers are indicative of what San Francisco's offense has been known for in recent seasons. Gore—and Hyde now—will look to continue doing this.
Oh, and Gore became the 29th running back in NFL history to surpass 10,000 rushing yards.
"Frank Gore - 29th player with 10,000 yards rushing
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 7, 2014"
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
It was The Vernon Davis Show in Dallas, as he hooked up with quarterback Colin Kaepernick twice for touchdown receptions.
Even at 30 years old, Davis is still an integral part of San Francisco's offense. The Cowboys' defensive woes again revealed themselves as the two-time Pro Bowler showcased his skills on Sunday.
While nowhere near as heralded as Davis, second-year pro Vance McDonald also played a role as Davis' complement. McDonald endured a relatively lackluster rookie season last year, but a strong preseason leads us to believe he'll play a much more significant role in 2014.
After one regular-season game, we can't say if he's anywhere near that level. McDonald didn't crack the stat sheet in spite of what he accomplished in exhibition games, but it matters not in comparison to Davis.
"#SFvsDAL can't miss play: @Kaepernick7 goes deep to @VernonDavis85 for a TD. WATCH: http://t.co/JT1IfaCpwq pic.twitter.com/cjvQGvqicV
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 7, 2014"
Kaepernick was also able to take advantage of a deeper receiving corps in comparison to the one he had a year ago at this time.
Anquan Boldin led all 49ers receivers with 99 rushing yards, a number of which came at critical third-down conversion attempts.
In his return to his hometown, Michael Crabtree put in two receptions for 25 yards. Crabtree's relatively low stats could indicate the 49ers are not hurrying to rush him back from the leg injury that sidelined him from practice during the week.
Stevie Johnson also got in the mix with 33 receiving yards on two catches.
The good news is that San Francisco's passing offense looks to have more weapons now that can definitely impact their offensive approach. This was not the case last year.
While the passing and receiving totals might not jump off the charts, it is nice to see the receiving unit combine to provide half of the team's scoring in Week 1.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The big news surrounding San Francisco's offensive line prior to its Week 1 matchup was the return of Alex Boone from his prolonged holdout.
"#49ers guard Alex Boone has officially passed his physical and is back with the team. READ: http://t.co/kPilXQMQ5S pic.twitter.com/deMZIOODLS
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 1, 2014"
But the entirety of the offensive line still prompted numerous questions prior to the game. Doug Williams of NBC Bay Area pointed out some of these:
"Right guard Alex Boone is back with the team after a summer-long holdout, which is good news. But can he step right in to start this week? Meanwhile, Daniel Kilgore begins his first season at center, left guard Mike Iupati struggled at times this summer and right tackle Anthony Dixon is coming off an injury that limited his playing and practice time this summer. The offensive line, the foundation of the offense for the past three seasons, will need to come together quickly.
"
But Boone didn't start in Week 1, as the 49ers elected to go with Joe Looney in his stead. Additionally, veteran right tackle Anthony Davis was out with an injury, which opened up the door for offseason acquisition Jonathan Martin to take the start.
As stated previously, the running game was a primary factor in whether or not the 49ers would come away with a victory. In this, the O-line was not particularly successful at the outset. Additionally, this unit gave up a few pressures to Colin Kaepernick in the first.
"49ers' offensive line hasn't looked great so far. Crumbled every time Cowboys have sent extra.
— James Brady (@JamesBradySBN) September 7, 2014"
Thankfully, these early setbacks did not continue late into the second half. By that point, Dallas' weak defense had been worn down, allowing the 49ers' running game to take over.
But one has to remember that the O-line was matched up against a vastly inferior defense. This unit won't be able to get away with performances like these when San Francisco faces off against some of the more elite defenses around the league.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The 49ers had plenty of news surrounding one of their star players on the defensive line, albeit for the wrong reasons.
News of defensive end Ray McDonald's arrest on domestic battery charges cast a shadow over what has already been a problematic season for the 49ers off the field.
General manager Trent Baalke and the 49ers' brass elected to let due process play its course per Can Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, but remained quiet about whether or not McDonald would play in Week 1.
He did, logging 3 tackles during the process.
But the D-line is not comprised of one player and fellow linemen Justin Smith made his presence felt on Sunday.
Smith was all over the field Sunday, proving to us once again that he is the linchpin of San Francisco's D-line. Smith got to Romo twice, bulling over an overworked Dallas' O-line.
"Justin Smith has two sacks against Dallas today. His nickname? "The Cowboy" #49ers
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 7, 2014"
Interestingly enough, second-year pros Tank Carradine and Quinton Dial were inactive per David Fucillo of Niners Nation (h/t Yahoo! Sports).
While we can only speculate what will happen with McDonald, Carradine might look to be a favorable replacement when, and if, McDonald misses time. We should not expect Carradine to continuously be inactive.
If there was a drawback to the defensive line however, it would be pointing out that this unit failed to get to Romo early in the game. Fortunately, Romo's inability to connect with his receivers assisted San Francisco to a large degree.
On top of that, it would have been nice to see the D-line stuff the run at the line. Cowboys' running back DeMarco Murray totaled 118 yards on the ground plus a touchdown. Expect San Francisco to try and clamp this down in coming weeks.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
Second-year pro Corey Lemonier looked to pick up the slack left behind in the wake of fellow linebacker Aldon Smith's nine-game suspension.
Along with Dan Skuta and Aaron Lynch, Lemonier will try to retain the potentially dominant linebacker corps for the first half of the season.
This was also the first showing of Michael Wilhoite in place of the injured NaVorro Bowman. Wilhoite won the starting job over rookie Chris Borland during the preseason and posted a blue-collar game with five tackles.
Wilhoite is certainly no Bowman, but at least he has shown himself capable of holding down this job until Bowman returns.
The remaining cast of San Francisco linebackers lined out with the following stats: Patrick Willis had six tackles and an interception; Lemonier and Demarcus Dobbs had three tackles; Dan Skuta had two tackles; and Ahmad Brooks, Tony Jerod-Eddie and Chris Borland had one tackle each.
Rookie Aaron Lynch also deflected a pass—something he became known for in the preseason.
"There's Aaron Lynch tipping passes again. Had three in the preseason. #49ers
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) September 7, 2014"
Like the defensive line, this unit struggled early in generating the pass rush. They also will look to stop the opposition's running game.
The big task, of course, will be whether or not this group can maintain the same sort of physical dominance shown in years past and as executed in Week 1.
Many analysts, including CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, are raising questions regarding the strength of San Francisco's front seven—especially the linebackers.
"The front seven, the power of the 49ers' defense, now will be without Bowman and Smith for two months -- and Justin Smith a year older.
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) August 29, 2014"
What will happen when the 49ers face off against elite offenses like those of the Denver Broncos or New Orleans Saints? The linebacker corps may have to bring it up a level.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
San Francisco revamped its secondary to a great extent during the offseason, which gave defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and secondary coach Ed Donatell plenty of challenges entering 2014.
Their first task was to shut down the Cowboys' No. 14-ranked pass offense from a year ago.
Fortunately, San Francisco got some reinforcements when veteran safety Antoine Bethea made his first NFL appearance since being sidelined with a concussion during the preseason.
Bethea and fellow safety Eric Reid did their part in attempting to thwart Tony Romo and Dallas' passing game.
The big story of course would be how cornerbacks Tramaine Brock and Chris Culliver would fare against Romo's favorite passing target, Dez Bryant.
Bryant hauled in four passes for 55 yards during the course of the game.
Unfortunately, both Brock and Culliver left the game with injuries according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area—Brock a toe injury and Culliver with concussion symptoms. This was after Culliver set the tone for San Francisco's dominance by returning an early fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter.
"49ers CB Chris Culliver is out with a concussion. Also lost starting CB Trumaine Brock to a toe injury.
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 7, 2014"
Chris Cook was inactive, which meant San Francisco's secondary wound up being very thin toward the end of the game.
Still, the entire unit was able to limit Romo and the Cowboys' vaunted passing game to just 286 yards. Combined with the rest of the defense, they allowed one passing touchdown against three interceptions.
Rookie Dontae Johnson stepped up nicely in the absences of Culliver and Brock, as noted by Taylor Price of 49ers.com. Perrish Cox also had a few good moments.
Depth will continue to be an issue moving forward, depending on the recoveries of Brock and Culliver. Still, the backups did an amicable job of slowing down Dallas' biggest offensive weapons.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Punter Andy Lee did everything he needed to do on Sunday, limiting Cowboys return man Dwayne Harris to two fair catches.
But on kickoffs, Dallas was able to average 29 yards on two attempted returns.
We didn't necessarily see any woes from San Francisco's offseason decision to part ways with a number of their special teams aces like C.J. Spillman (now with Dallas), Bubba Ventrone and Kassim Osgood, but the sample size is still too small.
Perhaps more importantly, kicker Phil Dawson missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt. Dawson missed two in San Francisco's exhibition game against the Denver Broncos in the preseason, so hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come.
"Phil Dawson misses a 37-yard field goal? Not good. Not that it's needed right now.
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 7, 2014"
Dawson made 32 of 36 attempts last season, so hopefully this miss is just an anomaly this season.
Grade: C-
Coaching
9 of 10
Side by side, it is easy to point out that Jim Harbaugh has much more to work with than Jason Garrett.
Harbaugh obviously had the personnel advantage in this game, but coaching needs to be evaluated in terms of the final outcome.
Going into the matchup, the 49ers' coaching staff had to know the weaknesses of the Cowboys—specifically their ability to stop the run. San Francisco wanted to impose its offensive will against Dallas, forcing Garrett and the Cowboys' coaching staff to adjust, as illustrated by Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area on a previous slide.
How successful were the 49ers in doing this?
If the results are any indication, San Francisco's coaching staff imposed their will upon a weak Dallas defense. While the Cowboys were able to generate decent offensive numbers, their inability to punch balls into the end zone proved significant.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio worked his best with a shorthanded defense that also lost cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Tramaine Brock during the game. The phrase "bend but don't break" applies here.
One also has to consider the four turnovers committed by Dallas during the game.
"#49ers coach Jim Harbaugh very complimentary of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio
— Kevin Lynch (@klynch49) September 7, 2014"
On the other side of the ball, we saw offensive coordinator Greg Roman open things up a bit with the new receiving weapons now at Kaepernick's disposal.
Roman's play-calling was scrutinized last season, but the 49ers proved capable of moving the ball effectively against Dallas' weak defense.
As far as Garrett is concerned, he failed to halt San Francisco's efforts to move the ball early on in the game. Turnovers did not help his cause, but the 49ers took easy advantage of these mistakes. The mismatches showed.
Grade: A
Final Grades
10 of 10
QB: A-
RB: A-
WR/TE: A
OL: C
DL: B
LB: B
Secondary: A-
Special Teams: C-
Coaching: A
Cumulative Grade: B
Judging by the score alone, it would be easy to give the 49ers a cumulative A-grade. Right from the initial drive, signs pointed to the Cowboys not having a chance. San Francisco set the tone early and maintained it throughout the majority of the game.
But there are a few areas of obvious concern that we must pay attention to moving forward.
The 49ers, once heralded for being impossible to run on, gave up their first 100-plus-yard rusher in 18 games as DeMarco Murray rushed for 118 yards.
"Shocking stat ... #Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray: 16 carries, 95 yards. #49ers haven't allowed 100-yd RB in last 17 regular-season gms, NFL high
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) September 7, 2014"
The absences of Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman clearly hurt here. Additionally, the lack of early pressure on Tony Romo was apparent. Shoring up the pass rush will be a key factor, especially as San Francisco prepares for its Week 2 matchup against the Chicago Bears.
Still, the 49ers needed to make a statement in the wake of all the news that took place surrounding the team this offseason. The 28-17 victory fit directly in line with what San Francisco needed to do.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive on 49ers' news, insight and analysis.
Follow him @PeterMcShots on Twitter.
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