By Matt Barrows, Jon Machota, Saad Yousuf and Hunter Patterson

The San Francisco 49ers withstood a late charge from the visiting Dallas Cowboys to win 30-24 on “Sunday Night Football.” The Cowboys outscored the 49ers 14-3 in the final frame, but San Francisco’s defense made the final stop to win the game when Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott could not connect with his intended target, Jalen Brooks.

Brock Purdy went 18 of 26, throwing for 260 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers. Purdy also added 56 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on eight attempts. His lone touchdown pass went to National Tight End’s Day creator George Kittle, who finished with six receptions and 128 yards. Rookie running back Isaiah Guerendo added 85 yards and his first career rushing touchdown for San Francisco.

Prescott threw for 243 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 25-of-38 passing. Both of his touchdown passes went to receiver CeeDee Lamb, who caught 13 passes for 146 yards.

The 49ers improve to 4-4 with the win, while the Cowboys fall to 3-4.

San Francisco is gaining momentum

The 49ers enter their bye week at 4-4 after outscoring the Cowboys 21-0 in the third quarter. The 49ers broke the game open with touchdown runs from Guerendo and Purdy and a short touchdown catch from Kittle, who had 72 of his 128 receiving yards in the quarter. And reinforcements are expected to emerge from the bye.

The biggest will be Christian McCaffrey, who is expected to take part in his first training in almost two months during the so-called ‘bonus’ session coming out of Week 9.

If all goes well, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year could make his 2024 debut in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team could also get kicker Jake Moody (ankle) back for that game and a pair of defensive backs, linebacker Greenlaw (Achilles) and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), a few weeks after that. It’s also possible the 49ers make a trade before the November 5 deadline.

A defensive lineman, perhaps a defensive end, makes sense considering how lightly the team is behind Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd and how many are available for teams falling out of the playoff race. – Matt Barrows, 49ers beat writer

49ers continue to get big contributions from the strong rookie class

One of Sunday’s highlights was Guerendo, who took over for Jordan Mason in the first quarter after Mason suffered a shoulder injury suffered in Week 6. Guerendo gained 85 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown, from four yards out, in the third quarter.

Mason’s injury left the 49ers with just two healthy tailbacks on the active roster, Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr., while Deebo Samuel also filled in all game and logged the most snaps in any game this season. San Francisco also got a 39-yard run from Ricky Pearsall to end.

Samuel, who was doubtful after being hospitalized with pneumonia last week, finished with 15 on the ground and another 71 through the air. A Samuel 66-yard touchdown was called back for a penalty. Samuel suffered a rib injury late in the game and did not play the final eight minutes of the game. The upcoming bye week should give Samuel’s rib and Mason’s shoulder a chance to heal.

And it gives McCaffrey another week to get up to speed for a return in Week 10 in Tampa. — Wheelbarrows

What you see is what you get from Dallas

The Cowboys were coming off their bye week last season and starting to hit their stride. They won six of their next seven. Sunday evening it turned out that, in case you were still holding out hope, that probably won’t happen this time. The comeback attempt was nice, but ultimately the plays weren’t executed when they were needed most. Maybe Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence and DaRon Bland return and the defense improves.

But this really doesn’t look at all like a team that’s about to get hot and keep up with the NFC’s best. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones have been asked several times in recent weeks about possible moves at the trade deadline. Neither has given the impression of much interest.

So barring anything very unexpected, what you see is what you get with this year’s Cowboys team. And that doesn’t seem to be enough for another playoff appearance. — Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer

Cowboys third quarter collapse

The Cowboys completely collapsed in the third quarter, turning a 10-6 halftime lead into a 27-6 deficit as the fourth quarter began.

The defense, which held its ground in the first half, gave up three touchdowns in the third quarter. The Cowboys offense, which left plenty of points on the field in the first half, scored zero points in the third quarter and added to the defense’s woes, thanks to a bad Prescott interception deep in the Cowboys’ own territory.

It sparked another fourth-quarter rally in foul time for the Cowboys, who inevitably fell short on a three-and-out with the game on the line. – Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer

Required reading

(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)