Why you shouldn’t be shocked by Cowboys’ 40-10 blowout of the 49ers

Hardly anything went right for the San Francisco 49ers during their Week 7 40-10 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys at home. Looking back, you shouldn’t have been surprised.

40-10.

There’s nothing about that score that can ease the pain San Francisco 49ers fans have after dropping their seventh consecutive game this season, this time to the visiting Dallas Cowboys in Week 7.

The score tells you all you need to know. And in many ways, it makes the game sound closer than it actually was. In reality, the score could have read 65-3. It wouldn’t have made a difference.

San Francisco 49ers

Should we be surprised, though? No, and here’s why.

The Niners have shown a surprising ability to stay in games for much of the season. Prior to Week 7’s debacle, San Francisco became the first team in NFL history to lose five straight by no more than three points.

This accomplished one of two things. First, it gave the illusion the Niners were almost there — barely out of reach of that first elusive win. A mistake here and a mistake there, well, that’s what the difference can be.

But this also indicated the 49ers were overachieving during that stretch. While it was nice to see the Niners hanging in games until the final moments — a vast contrast to what fans endured in 2016 — the reality is San Francisco is only at the beginning stages of a long, long rebuild.

In reality, Week 7 is a bigger indication of where the Niners are at than what happened weeks prior.

If the 49ers Were David, Cowboys Were Goliath… and Goliath Won

History lessons aside, there was no way the 49ers had any business winning Week 7.

Dallas was coming off a bye week, which meant it had an extra week’s worth of preparation and rest over a San Francisco team fresh off a three-week road trip.

Perhaps this was reflected in both teams’ injury reports:

The Niners were banged up. The Cowboys were not. It’s pretty simple.

Two names should draw attention on the 49ers list, though. Arik Armstead (hand) isn’t listed, as he’s on injured reserve. And while he hasn’t been a major playmaker for San Francisco’s defense this year, his presence was certainly missed.

Same went for EDGE Aaron Lynch (calf), whose pass-rushing prowess could have been used on a day where San Francisco recorded zero sacks on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Injuries are rarely a good excuse, but they were certainly a factor here.

Youth Movement in a Talent-Driven League

Wins and losses mean everything in the NFL, but they mean nothing to the 2017 49ers.

Sound like an oxymoron? Well, yes.

That’s because this season isn’t about picking up victories. They’re nice, and they certainly sound good right now, but the entire point of this year is to identify key players and cornerstone groups around which general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan can build.

If only this was accomplished the last two years.

The past few weeks have ushered in a youth movement — a shift away from playing the veterans, which I detailed in a piece over at 49ers Webzone recently.

Related Story: 49ers commit to future with NaVorro Bowman release, Brian Hoyer benching

Take this number, compiled by SFGate.com’s Eric Branch, as a perfect example:

It says a lot. San Francisco isn’t committed to winning, not yet at least. Instead, this season is all about finding those players that might be a part of the team’s future, either next year or even beyond.

But this also means the 49ers are going to lack the talent levels that enable teams to compete with each other on a week-to-week basis.

In short, the Niners are going to “suck” for a while.

Trusting the Process

It’s going to be hard. And it’s probably going to be hard for a while, maybe years.

2017 is less about wins, losses or even upsetting a team like Dallas. Instead, this year’s focus is about determining what players and units are going to comprise a contender down the road, as well as molding those players into cornerstone pieces.

More from Niner Noise

• 49ers 2023 NFL Draft tracker: Pick-by-pick news and analysis
• Predicting 49ers NFL Draft picks by looking at final mocks
• DraftKings NFL Draft Promo – Win $150 Guaranteed on Any $5 Bet 
• 2023 NFL Draft: EDGE Byron Young could be impact player for 49ers
• 5 low-key NFL Draft options for 49ers who are flying under the radar

Sadly, the Niners have few of these. The Cowboys game revealed this glaring problem in more ways than one.

In all likelihood, Lynch and Shanahan are going to have to use the first few years of their six-year contracts to get the 49ers back to just a level of respectability. That’s what they inherited, and they know it.

This is going to take a long, long time. And that calls for patience, even if it’s tough to possess after games like Week 7.

Next: Cowboys vs. 49ers: The good, bad & ugly from San Francisco's 40-10 loss

And with a slate of games remaining — almost none of which look promising for San Francisco — exhibiting patience and trusting the process is about all fans can do.