Cowboys vs. 49ers: Full Week 7 preview for San Francisco

The month of October is nearly over, and the San Francisco 49ers are still winless. The 49ers now head back home for a Week 7 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Here is the preview with the latest news, X-factors, injuries and much more.

November is fast approaching, and there remains a zero in the win column for the San Francisco 49ers.

Not the most ideal start for a new regime trying to establish itself.

But in those losses lies a truth: the 49ers aren’t your average 0-6 team. Last week, San Francisco set a new NFL record. They became the first team in NFL history to lose five consecutive games by three points or less.

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When evaluating this team has a whole, that fact cannot be ignored. This is a competitive squad. There is no obliteration happening at the expense of the 49ers.

It’s not a lack of play-calling, schematics or an acute dearth of talent that is bringing San Francisco down. It’s the miscues that prove to be too costly in the end.

It’s those miscues that has plagued the 49ers so far. San Francisco leads the league with 56 penalties and 20 dropped passes. When you’re a team like the 49ers, those mistakes cannot happen. Otherwise you lose the close games you should win, just like this team has done.

Let’s take a look ahead at this next week’s contest against the Cowboys, beginning with a dive into some statistics.

Week 7 by the numbers

It finally happened. After weeks of massively inconsistent play from quarterback Brian Hoyer, head coach Kyle Shanahan made the switch from Hoyer to rookie C.J. Beathard.

And a switch seemed to be flipped, as Beathard erased a 17-point deficit before the Washington Redskins stymied the comeback attempt with a late fourth-quarter interception.

When Beathard entered the game, the 49ers were down 17-0. That was at the 1:51 mark in the first quarter.

By the 3:03 mark in the third quarter, the game was tied at 17 apiece.

It was truly a remarkable turnaround. For the game, Beathard finished 19-36 passing for 245 yards and one touchdown and one interception. The highlight of the day for Beathard came on the 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Aldrick Robinson (via The Niner Wire’s Rob Lowder):

There were of course some mistakes, as Beathard struggled on dropbacks when facing pressure. But nonetheless, it was still a performance that bodes well for the future outlook of the 49ers.

As for defense, a lot has been talked about defensive lineman DeForest Buckner. And rightfully so — the second-year Buckner is currently PFF’s No. 2 overall interior defender with a 91.9 grade.

There’s really no way around it, Buckner has been playing at All-Pro level this season. Right now, he’s one of the best defensive lineman in the entire NFL.

But there have been some other standouts for San Francisco’s defense this season. One of those is safety Jaquiski Tartt, who is enjoying a career year so far in 2017.

Tartt firmly came into the rotation in Week 2 as safety Eric Reid went down with a knee injury. Since then, Tartt has impressed. Particularly in the run game, the former second-round pick has been a formidable force.

Per PFF, Tartt has 10 run stops — which is tied for second-most among all safeties. Last week against Washington, Tartt finished with an 81.5 grade from PFF, ranking among the top six for 49ers players.

It’s plays like these that make Tartt stick out (via Rob Lowder):

The recent play of Tartt now clouds the future of Reid. Is Reid, a 2013 first-round draft selection, now expendable? It’s definitely something to keep an eye on the season progresses.

Quarterback comparison

The rookie C.J. Beathard is the starter for the 49ers moving forward.

So the Beathard experiment begins, and these next 10 weeks will be a test for the rookie to see if Shanahan and general manager John Lynch believe in the first-year player enough to name him the starter for 2018. Already the 49ers offense has showed a partial revitalization, evident in their near comeback victory on the road against Washington.

Just how well Beathard has to play in order to gain future security is anybody’s guess, but a handful of wins and a tangible record of improved play over the year should do the job. That’s no easy task though for a rookie, let alone a rookie at the helm of an 0-6 team.

Despite the Cowboys’ 2-3 record, Dak Prescott is playing well.

While Dallas has already reached their win total from last season, that really can’t be contributed to the play of Prescott, who has showed no signs of a sophomore slump. Especially on play action and deep throws, Prescott has been impactful. Per PFF:

• Play-action: 21-34, 235 yards, four touchdowns, 124.1 rating.
• Deep throws: 7-15, 255 yards, two touchdowns, 132.6 rating.

On the season, Prescott has thrown for 1,192 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 62.6% of his passes. Prescott’s 91.63 PFF quarterback rating places him sixth out of 32 quarterbacks.

Significant injuries

The news most 49ers fans have been waiting for — rookie linebacker Reuben Foster is nearing his return:

"“He’s not 100 percent ready to go, but I feel very optimistic about it,” Kyle Shanahan said Friday. “He had another good practice today. As long as there’s not any setbacks here over the next 48 hours or whatever it is, I feel pretty confident.”"

Foster, who suffered an ankle sprain just minutes into his NFL debut in Week 1, is looking more and more likely to suit up this week.

Here’s the full injury report, courtesy of the 49ers:

• Linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong: questionable (shoulder).
• Linebacker Brock Coyle: questionable (shoulder).
• Linebacker Reuben Foster: questionable (ankle).
• Fullback Kyle Juszczyk: out (back).
• Defensive lineman Aaron Lynch: out (calf).
• Defensive lineman Dekoda Watson: questionable (groin).

Offensive & Defensive X-factors for San Francisco

Establishing a passing connection

Despite the recent struggles from the 49ers running game, the team has failed to have an individual running back over 100 rushing yards since Week 2, I still have full confidence in the backfield. There’s been enough glimpses, in my eyes, from both running backs Carlos Hyde and Matt Breida to warrant this confidence.

That’s why I believe catalyzing the passing offense is more important this game. And also the fact that I believe San Francisco will be down for much of this game, as the Cowboys posses a potent offense, and passing will be the team’s only option to keep the score close. And also that this is C.J. Beathard’s first full game as the starter. And also that wide receiver Pierre Garçon has been just about the only pass catcher the 49ers can rely on.

Okay, so there’s a lot of reasons I value the passing offense in this game. Getting that chemistry down between the youngster Beathard and the slick veteran Garçon is a vital part for the development of the offense moving forward.

Don’t let Ezekiel Elliott dominate too much

The headline says it all. There’s no really stopping Elliott, as it’s an occasion that rarely occurs. And the last time San Francisco faced a top-tier running back with dual-threat ability, the defense got torched by Los Angeles’ Todd Gurley II. In Week 2, Gurley II had 28 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and five receptions for 36 yards and one touchdown.

I mean Indianapolis’ Marlon Mack nearly put up 100 yards on nine carries versus the 49ers in Week 5.

So yeah, it’s not if Elliott will dominate — it’s a question of how much will he dominate. Besides the matchup with Denver Broncos in Week 2, Elliott has reached at least 80 rushing yards in every game. Elliott has done more as a receiver out of the backfield this season, already notching 17 receptions for 134 yards (in 2016, he had 32 receptions for 363 yards).

Game information

The Cowboys and 49ers kickoff at 1:05 p.m. PT and the game will be broadcasted on FOX.

For those who would like to live stream the game, you can follow this link: https://www.fubo.tv/watch/NFL?irad=356362&irmp=374356

Sportsbook Review currently has the Cowboys as six point favorites over the 49ers and the total at 48.5 points.

Next: 49ers vs. Redskins: 4 takeaways from San Francisco’s loss to Washington

It’s not what most envisioned, San Francisco being 0-6, but not all is lost this season. There’s competitiveness each and every game, and there are a handful of young players performing well.