49ers vs. Cowboys: Live Score and Analysis for San Francisco

The wait is over, and the official "quest for six" begins as the San Francisco 49ers started their 2014 regular-season campaign on the road versus the Dallas Cowboys.

While the longtime rivalry between Dallas and San Francisco may have quieted down since the heyday seasons of the 1970s, '80s and '90s, plenty of attention focused in and around this game given how many noteworthy players have suited up against each other in each team's storied past.

Yet the bigger story was the 49ers' desire to start the season off strong. 

A depleted 49ers defense—minus NaVorro Bowman (injury) and Aldon Smith (suspension)—will match up against a high-flying Cowboys offense with the likes of Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and DeMarco Murray.

On the flip side, Dallas' problematic defense, that  ranked No. 30 and No. 27 in pass and rush yards against last year, had to cope with San Francisco's power-running game featuring Frank Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick also has a slew of new weapons at wide receiver.

Michael Crabtree came back to his hometown and complemented fellow veteran wideout Anquan Boldin in San Francisco's passing game. 

Chris Culliver started off the scoring by picking up a Dan Skuta-forced fumble on the Cowboys' opening drive giving the 49ers an early lead. After a long drive, assisted by some costly 49ers' penalties, Dallas put up a field goal in response.

But the 49ers were quick to answer back. A couple of nice plays from Colin Kaepernick wound up with a 29-yard touchdown reception from tight end Vernon Davis. Kaepernick found Davis again after safety Eric Reid intercepted a pass from Tony Romo and returned it to the Dallas 2-yard line.

Rookie Carlos Hyde has also recorded his first NFL touchdown—a four-yard score.

The Cowboys committed four costly turnovers—three of them are interceptions thrown by Romo. San Francisco was able to take advantage of these mistakes to a great degree.

Dallas has been able to close the gap somewhat when DeMarco Murray punched in a touchdown on a 4th-and-1 call deep inside the 49ers' red zone. Terrance Williams added another touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

But these attempts were feeble as the 49ers held on to a 28-17 victory—the score not revealing how much San Francisco controlled this game.

FINAL: 49ers 28, Cowboys 17

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.