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Cowboys vs. 49ers: The good, bad and ugly from San Francisco’s 40-10 loss

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: DeMarcus Lawrence #90 of the Dallas Cowboys pressures C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: DeMarcus Lawrence #90 of the Dallas Cowboys pressures C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 22: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys runs for a two-yard touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 22: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys runs for a two-yard touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The Bad

Where to start?

Almost every blowout game is going to have a lot of bad things to discuss, so let’s try to focus on the biggest ones. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott took over the game during Dallas’ second offensive possession, and he never looked back.

In total, Elliott had 219 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns combined. That’s only 71 yards short of the Niners’ entire offensive output (290 yards).

Cornerback Rashard Robinson

Nearly every player on San Francisco’s defense deserves some blame, but a lot can certainly fall on second-year cornerback Rashard Robinson.

As noted earlier, Robinson had his usual weekly pass-interference penalty, but that wasn’t the only issue. He was also burned and out of position multiple times, including the 72-yard touchdown catch by Elliott.

It’s becoming clear Robinson isn’t cut out to be a No. 1 cornerback, although the 49ers aren’t exactly in position to make any switches with players on their roster.

49ers Pass Rush

Despite some offseason losses, Dallas still has a solid offensive line. So it shouldn’t be a huge surprise the Niners pass rush wasn’t a major factor in Week 7.

The only problem, though, is it wasn’t a factor at all.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott wasn’t sacked and was hit just once during the game. Not having edge rushers Arik Armstead (hand) and Aaron Lynch (calf) didn’t help matters much, but nobody stepped into this critical role.

Rookie defensive end Solomon Thomas certainly regressed after a strong outing in Week 6.

Quarterback C.J. Beathard

Granted, the lack of offensive output isn’t entirely on the shoulders of quarterback C.J. Beathard. He was under pressure almost the entire game, and the rookie did manage a handful of nice throws, including a 48-yard strike to wide receiver Marquise Goodwin.

Overall, Beathard was 22-of-38 for 235 yards and a passer rating of 76.1. But one of the key issues was his pocket awareness.

Sensing pressure has never been one of Beathard’s strengths, and this was the case on Sunday.