All the stories will surround the comeback by Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys coming up with 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Not as many will focus on the offensive stagnation of the San Francisco 49ers that gave Dallas the opportunities to tie and win the game.
In the fourth quarter and overtime, San Francisco picked up two first downs and moved the ball a total of 26 yards on three drives. San Francisco punted the ball twice and settled for a David Akers 55 yard field goal. Jim Harbaugh didn't seem to have enough confidence in the 49ers offense; when Dallas committed a penalty on the Akers field goal that would have set up the Niners deep in Dallas territory, Harbaugh declined the penalty and took the points. It's a curious decision that will certain receive scrutiny through this week.
Dallas, meanwhile, racked up drives of 80 and 44 yards in the fourth quarter behind Tony Romo to set up the Cowboys with ten tying points. San Francisco sat back in soft zones and allowed Tony Romo to get into a rhythm without generating as much pass rush as they had in the first three quarters. It gave Dallas plenty of time to drive down the field and pick up yards on a regular basis.
Then on the first offensive play for the Cowboys in overtime, Romo made all the Niners defenders (including the deep safety) bite on the run with good play action, then brought it back and fired one deep for Jessie Holley. Holley caught it in stride and took the ball 77 yards down to the Niners one yard line, setting up the game-winning field goal by Dan Bailey.
There were some great plays by Dallas to win the game, but San Francisco's inability to produce offensive yards and make any defensive stops doomed the 49ers to 1-1.
To discuss the 49ers further, check out Niners Nation. To discuss the Cowboys further, head to Blogging the Boys.