The San Francisco 49ers always went for all the Cowboys’ tricks during a bye week, and they faced one before the first play of the scrimmage. The Cowboys opened the game with cheating on the opening kickoff. A penalty followed on the play.

Dallas got one down first before Fred Warner stopped the Cowboys on 3rd and 5. Confidence goes through the roof when you get a three-and-out to start the game.

Ricky Pearsall caught the first pass of the game for the Niners and then was assessed an illegal procedure penalty on third down. That set up a 3rd and 6, and Kyle Shanahan made a gem of a call. Deebo Samuel lined up in the backfield, gestured to linebacker Eric Kendricks and ran right past him for 47 yards.

However, a holding penalty on Kyle Juszczyk prevented the offense from reaching the red zone, which meant an Anders Carlson field goal. Carlson’s kick was good from 50 yards out, giving the Niners a 3-0 lead.

The defense did not force a point on the ensuing possession. After they allowed two first downs, Nick Bosa hit Dak Prescott while he was throwing, and Ji’Ayir Brown executed the throw as if it was a punt for an interception.

The 49ers took over and got backup in their territory, but Jordan Mason was hurt on the first down. According to the broadcast, Mason said, “I’m fine,” so the hope was that the injury was not serious.

After a first-down throw to George Kittle, Purdy missed Jacob Cowing on a third-down, leading to a punt.

The 49ers drew two holding calls on Dallas’s third drive in one play. Fred Warner forced a fumble on 3rd and 10, but the Cowboys recovered it. A 12-yard run moved the chains to Dallas.

The defense had another chance to get off the field on third down, but CeeDee Lamb gained 15 yards. Defense is about sacks and timely sacks. Nick Bosa beat Terrance Steele cleanly with the right tackle, but the Cowboys picked up another first down through the run on 3rd and long.

After a pass interference in the end zone by Charvarius Ward, Ezekiel Elliott ran the ball in from one yard out to give the Cowboys a 7-3 lead.

Shanahan drew another masterpiece of a play with Deebo Samuel running wide open down the sideline, but a holding call on Eric Saubert negated the 66-yard touchdown.

The good news was that Mason returned to the field. The better news was Pearsall getting a third-down reception to keep the offense on the field. A one-yard gain on 3rd and 4 meant Kyle Shanahan had a decision to make.

On 4th and 3, Deebo was opened up, but Purdy’s pass was so behind him that Samuel couldn’t get two hands on it. The turnover on downs was another backbreaking play for an offense that left far too many yards on the field in the first half.

Dallas gained the 49ers’ field position on the next drive. Malik Mustapha made two great moves on the ball. One was a broken pass in the end zone and the other was a shocking hit. The Cowboys were fortunate to recover their second fumble and attempt a short field goal. Brandon Aubrey’s kick was good to make it 10-3.

The offense had a chance for a double dip. With less than three minutes left in the second quarter, they had the ball and would get it to start the third quarter. Isaac Guerendo gave the offense a much-needed spark, with gains of 15 and 19 yards to start the drive.

Mason was questionable to return with a shoulder injury.

Guerendo had another long rush, but a call from Kittle canceled it out. Then Samuel dropped a screen pass that looked like he had room on 2nd and 20. Then Purdy’s pass to Guerendo underneath was inaccurate, throwing him off balance.

Carlson’s kick from 44 yards was good to cut the lead to 10-6. The 49ers averaged 7.7 yards per play on four drives and allowed just six points to do so.

The opportunities were there. Shanahan seemed to have found something with the play under center as they had 38 yards on three carries – all from Guerendo. It seemed like the receivers were consistently open on every drive. Yet the scoreboard did not reflect the box score.

The defense came up with a much-needed stop, giving the offense a chance to score points with less than a minute to play. Jacob Cowing was hit when the defender flew into him and kicked Cowing’s knee, but no call was made.

Kittle caught a 30-yarder, but Purdy fumbled and missed Chris Conley on 3rd-and-17, giving the offense a chance to add points. At halftime it was 10-6.

Kyle Shanahan’s halftime speech resonated with the team. The offense scored a touchdown in just over two minutes, thanks to a 43-yard gain from Kittle. Guerendo ran the ball in from four yards out to give San Francisco a 13-10 lead.

Could we finally see the 49ers playing complementary football? The kickoff team defended another trick play by the Cowboys. Deommodore Lenoir picked off Dak Prescott for his second interception in as many weeks.

The 49ers scored a touchdown in the red zone for the second time in as many trips. Purdy scrambled for a first down on 3rd-and-3. Then Kittle was open in the end zone for a touchdown. There was a flag on the line, but it was picked up and the Niners took a commanding 20-10 lead.

Nick Sorensen had been having a great game up until that point, and it didn’t stop in the third quarter. The defense swarmed, but Sorensen pressed all the right buttons. He found a way to free up his best pass rushers, and they rewarded their coordinator with wins.

A quick three-and-out was followed by a methodical drive that took over five minutes due to the offense. Purdy’s best play of the game came on a broken play. A swing pass was designed for Deebo. Dallas read it, and instead of forcing a play that could have been disastrous, Purdy stuffed the ball and ran 16 yards. Kittle had another 27 yards gain, and Samuel gained 16 yards on 3rd and 7. Purdy came in on 3rd and goal from the two to give the 49ers a commanding 27-10 lead.

Dee Winters was ruled out for the remainder of the match due to a concussion.

Sam Okuayinonu picked up his third sack of the season and capped it off with a remarkable dance. After the Cowboys’ lone touchdown drive of 65 yards, the 49ers forced four three-and-outs on five drives, including an interception.

Dallas would get a first down on the ensuing drive, thanks to the gift of a pass interference call against Charvarius Ward. CeeDee Lamb made an impressive fingertip grab and followed it with a touchdown after the Niners left Lamb uncovered in the end zone. With just under eight minutes to play the score was 27-17.

As we’ve seen this year, the game was far from over. The offense needed an answer. Pearsall made a jet sweep, missed a defender and took off for 39 yards. That led to a 41-yard field goal by Carlson, putting San Francisco back up 30-17.

But Dallas wasted no time in scoring. Gains of 21, 29 and 20 yards for Lamb made it 30-24. Ji’Ayir Brown took out Renardo Green because it was the worst time for friendly fire. After

Purdy scrambled on first down, but Guerendo missed a block on second down for a sack. The 49ers were forced to punt, which meant the defense had to stop the bleeding.

Fred Warner tipped a first down pass. The pass rush was in the backfield on every other down, and the defense forced a much-needed turnover. Guerendo’s 14-yard rush clinched a victory for the 49ers.

This match had nothing to do with final possession. Mistakes from the attack in the first half and blunders from the defense in the fourth quarter prevented a spectacular defeat. The 49ers enter the bye week at 4-4 and will have to decide whether to upgrade positions for a second-half playoff run.

The offense finished with a season-high in yards after the catch. That could be a foreshadowing of what we could see in the second half of the season. The next time we see this team, No. 23 will be on screen.