The 49ers (3-7) travel to Texas Stadium for a 1:15 PT kickoff against the Dallas Cowboys (7-4).
Tony Romo starts at quarterback for Dallas. Marion Barber runs the ball. Terrell Owens leads the receivers; Jason Witten at tight end. Shaun Hill starts for the 49ers; Frank Gore at running back; Isaac Bruce at receiver. Vernon Davis at tight end.
Tony Romo and the Cowboys (7-4) host the 49ers Sunday afternoon at Texas Stadium in one of the venue's last games. Singletary's interim tenure, off the home blowout of the Rams, faces a real NFC playoff team.
Shaun Hill stays the starter. Frank Gore at running back. Isaac Bruce the WR1. The Cowboys come in with Romo healthy and Marion Barber as the lead back. Terrell Owens at receiver. A chance for the 49ers, at 3-7, to make a conference statement.
Favored by Dallas by 9.5. The box score will be unkind; the year's identity tape may show something.
Week 12 across the NFC sees the playoff field tightening. The Giants (9-1), Cowboys (7-4), Cardinals (7-4), Bears (6-5), Eagles, and Falcons compete for division titles and wild-card spots. The 49ers (3-7) are functionally eliminated. The Sunday road game is the kind of week where a 49ers upset, against the Cowboys at home, would be the kind of conference statement that Mike Singletary's interim tenure needs to actually build a case for the permanent job.
Through ten games the 49ers are 3-7 with a -45 point differential. Shaun Hill averages 6.4 yards per attempt with four TDs and two INTs. Frank Gore averages 81 rushing yards a game. Isaac Bruce averages 67 receiving yards a game. The defense allows 27.4 points per game. The Cowboys are 7-4 with Tony Romo averaging 230 passing yards a game and 12 TDs/4 INTs. Marion Barber averages 65 rushing yards a game with seven TDs. Terrell Owens averages 75 receiving yards a game. Vegas opens Dallas as 9.5-point home favorites; total 49.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | 7-3 | W4 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-4 | W4 |
| New England Patriots | 6-4 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5-5 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-3 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-4 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-6 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-8-1 | T1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 10-0 | W10 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6-4 | W3 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-6 | L1 |
| Houston Texans | 3-7 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 6-4 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-6 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-8 | L4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-9 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 7-3 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3-7 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 2-8 | L4 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-8 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 9-1 | W5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-4 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-4 | L2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-4-1 | T1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 5-5 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5-5 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-5 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 0-10 | L10 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 8-2 | W4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-3 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6-4 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5-5 | W1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 23 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 22 yard field goal | 6-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Terrell Owens 75 yard pass from Tony Romo ( Nick Folk kick) | 6-7 |
| Cowboys | Safety, Carlos Polk blocked punt through end zone for a safety. | 6-9 |
| Cowboys | Nick Folk 48 yard field goal | 6-12 |
| Cowboys | Nick Folk 41 yard field goal | 6-15 |
| Cowboys | Martellus Bennett 1 yard pass from Tony Romo ( Nick Folk kick) | 6-22 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Patrick Crayton 10 yard pass from Tony Romo ( Nick Folk kick) | 6-29 |
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 35 yard field goal | 9-29 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Nick Folk 47 yard field goal | 9-32 |
| 49ers | Isaac Bruce 18 yard pass from Shaun Hill ( Joe Nedney kick) | 16-32 |
| Cowboys | Nick Folk 42 yard field goal | 16-35 |
| 49ers | DeShaun Foster 9 yard pass from Shaun Hill (pass failed) | 22-35 |
Tony Romo threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns and the Dallas Cowboys beat the 49ers 35-22 at Texas Stadium. Marion Barber ran for 59. Terrell Owens caught a touchdown. Shaun Hill threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Isaac Bruce caught eight for 125 with a touchdown. Frank Gore ran for 26. The Cowboys scored 22 second-quarter points. The 49ers fell to 3-8 with the loss.[1][2][3]
Tony Romo went for 341 yards and three touchdowns Sunday afternoon at Texas Stadium. The Dallas Cowboys beat the 49ers 35-22 in the kind of cross-conference road loss where the volume passing of a real NFC contender ended up exactly as the road favorite line predicted.
Isaac Bruce caught eight passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, against the team that drafted him in 1994. Shaun Hill threw for 303 with two touchdowns. Vernon Davis caught two for 23. Frank Gore ran for 26 yards. The Cowboys' 22-point second quarter ended the competitive portion of the afternoon.
3-8. The kind of cross-conference road loss that, against a real NFC playoff team, exposed the gap between the Singletary interim tenure and a championship-caliber operation. The Buffalo Bills come to Candlestick next Sunday. The kind of home game the schedule still gives the 49ers to play their way to a credible second half. Singletary continues making his case for the permanent job.
Cowboys 35, 49ers 22. Margin: -13. Eleven-game record: 3-8, -58 differential.
* Tony Romo: 23-of-39 for 341, 3 TDs, 0 INTs.
* Terrell Owens: 1 receiving TD.
* Marion Barber: 19 carries for 59.
* Shaun Hill: 21-of-33 for 303, 2 TDs (Bruce + 1), 1 INT.
* Isaac Bruce: 8 catches for 125, 1 TD.
* Frank Gore: 14 carries for 26.
* Vernon Davis: 2 catches for 23.
* Cowboys 22 2Q points.
* 49ers 3-8; Cowboys 8-4.
A 35-22 road loss at Texas Stadium. The 49ers fall to 3-8.
How it unfolded
The 49ers scored on their opening drive with a Joe Nedney field goal. Dallas answered with a Romo touchdown to make it 7-3. The 49ers added another Nedney field goal to make it 7-6. The Cowboys' second quarter was a Romo touchdown to push the lead to 14-6, then a Marion Barber touchdown to make it 21-6, then another Romo touchdown to push it to 28-6 by halftime. The third quarter was a Hill touchdown to Bruce to make it 28-13, then a Shaun Hill touchdown pass to push the gap. The fourth quarter was a Cowboys touchdown to make it 35-13 and a 49ers field goal to close it 35-22.
The turning point
The Cowboys' 22-point second quarter. With the 49ers within 7-6 and the defense looking like it could stand up to Romo, the three Dallas touchdowns in 15 minutes turned the game into the kind of pull-away road loss the year had been producing.
By the numbers
Hill 303 passing on 33 attempts with two TDs and an INT. Bruce 125 receiving on 8 catches with a TD. Vernon Davis 23 receiving on 2 catches. Gore 26 rushing on 14 carries. Romo 341 on 39 attempts with three TDs. Owens the receiving TD. Barber 59 rushing.
Personnel watch
Isaac Bruce's 125-yard game against the team that drafted him. Shaun Hill's first 300-yard passing day. Frank Gore quiet (26 rushing). The defense surrendering 341 to Romo. The Mike Singletary interim tenure's credibility-build continues to depend on what the back-half of the schedule produces.
What it means
3-8 with the Bills at home next Sunday. The kind of road loss that, against a real NFC contender, was the box score everybody predicted. The Hill-to-Bruce hookup is the kind of veteran-receiver-on-young-quarterback chemistry the offseason free-agent signing was meant to produce.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Shaun Hill | 21/33 | 303 | 2 | 1 | |
| DAL | |||||
| Tony Romo | 23/39 | 341 | 3 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 14 | 26 | 0 | 7 |
| Shaun Hill | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DAL | ||||
| Marion Barber III | 19 | 59 | 0 | 9 |
| Tashard Choice | 6 | 18 | 0 | 8 |
| Tony Romo | 4 | -3 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Isaac Bruce | 8 | 125 | 1 | 34 |
| Bryant Johnson | 4 | 56 | 0 | 18 |
| Vernon Davis | 1 | 47 | 0 | 47 |
| Dominique Zeigler | 2 | 31 | 0 | 30 |
| Jason Hill | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| DeShaun Foster | 1 | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| Michael Robinson | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Frank Gore | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| DAL | ||||
| Terrell Owens | 7 | 213 | 1 | 75 |
| Marion Barber III | 7 | 50 | 0 | 10 |
| Roy Williams | 3 | 36 | 0 | 15 |
| Patrick Crayton | 2 | 16 | 1 | 10 |
| Tashard Choice | 2 | 14 | 0 | 9 |
| Jason Witten | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Martellus Bennett | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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