49ers vs. Cowboys: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Regular Season

The San Francisco 49ers dismissed any concerns about their preseason form or living up to enormous expectations in Sunday's Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys.   

Playing spoiler at AT&T Stadium, the Niners dismantled a hapless Cowboys defense, and created multiple turnovers off of maligned Dallas quarterback Tony Romo in a 28-17 victory.

The outcome wasn't as close as the scoreboard suggests. The way America's Team went into the locker room, so thoroughly dominated, was unprecedented, per ESPN Stats & Info:

San Francisco signal-caller Colin Kaepernick was far more efficient than his counterpart, going 16-of-23 for 201 yards and two touchdowns—good for a 125.5 passer rating.

ESPN's Mike Greenberg summarized Romo's unfortunate Sunday:

Judging by his comments after the game (via ESPN's Ed Werder), it's safe to say Romo agreed:

It was a catastrophe from the beginning. As the Cowboys sought to take pressure off Romo by establishing the run, DeMarco Murray coughed up the football on Dallas' second play from scrimmage. Niners cornerback Chris Culliver scooped the loose ball up and took it to the end zone, giving San Francisco a seven-point lead less than a minute into the game.

The Cowboys drove the length of the field on the next possession but failed to punch it in, settling for three points. Kaepernick then delivered a strike to Anquan Boldin to get the Niners in field-goal range, and followed it up with a brilliant 29-yard touchdown toss to tight end Vernon Davis.

The drive sent a message that the Niners could be as balanced as ever this year, as Werder noted:

Romo went into desperation mode too soon. He had Terrance Williams open on a deep post, yet still tried to force it into coverage, which resulted in an interception by Eric Reid. After Reid ran it back to the Dallas 2-yard line, Kaepernick took it from there, hooking up with Davis for another score.

The first-quarter scoring blitz from San Francisco was historic, per the Niners' Twitter account:

An ill-advised heave midway through the second quarter to Dez Bryant led to another pick, making for three in the opening half. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller weighed in on Romo's poor performance:

There was many a zinger regarding Romo's efforts.

Jim Rome felt Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may have some grand halftime adjustments to make. Even when Romo hit Dwayne Harris for a 56-yard gain to set up a third-quarter touchdown, Pro Football Focus' Steve Palazzolo noted how the throw was a bad decision:

For all the boneheaded plays Romo made, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report praised how poised and savvy Kaepernick was throughout the game:

Fox Sports NFL noted the stark statistical contrast between the up-and-coming Kaepernick and the experienced Romo:

In light of his pregame comments, as 49ers.com's Taylor Price reported, Kaepernick didn't take the Cowboys defense lightly—and it showed:

"

They play fast, they play hard. Last year really doesn’t mean anything when you’re starting a new season. They’re going to have a new defense, a revamped defense. It’s not something we’re looking at as far as them being bad. We’re trying to focus on what we have to do to counteract what they’re doing.

"

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports was in awe of Kaepernick's unique talents:

The Niners still grounded and pounded like they often do, with rookie Carlos Hyde getting in on the action. An impressive couple of runs resulted in him notching his first NFL score on a four-yard scamper with 39 seconds left in the first half.

While Hyde was impressive in his initial taste of regular-season action (seven carries for 50 yards), veteran ball-carrier Frank Gore came to play, too, with 66 hard-fought yards on 16 rushes. The team's official Twitter account highlighted the milestone Gore eclipsed during the contest:

Without some of Romo's generous aid, this game could have been a lot closer. Sports Illustrated's Andrew Brandt pointed out how the extension Romo signed last year means that he's in Dallas for the long haul, giving little solace to discontented fans:

San Francisco conceded quite a few yards on the ground to Murray—118 yards and a score on 22 carries—as the absence of inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman opened up running lanes.

However, the Niners didn't need a spectacular effort on defense after they jumped out to such a sizable lead, proving they were undaunted by the pressure of their previous success even with some key absences.

Next up for San Francisco is its first official home game in the new Levi's Stadium. Facing a Chicago Bears team that suffered a shocking home loss to the Buffalo Bills in the opener should allow the Niners to keep the early momentum going and improve to 2-0.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

If Romo doesn't press as often, the Cowboys have a chance to bounce back. The defense wasn't as terrible as it could have been, but a road trip to Tennessee promises to be tough. The Titans are 1-0 and have a new coach in Ken Whisenhunt who appears to have given the team a spark to begin the 2014 campaign.

The NFC East may not be the strongest division, but if Dallas makes as many mistakes as it did Sunday, it's going to be another disappointing Cowboys season. Massive change could be on the horizon if Romo can't help Dallas right the ship soon.