Brock Purdy, George Kittle play lead roles in 49ers' Sunday night domination of Cowboys
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers offense exploded on Sunday Night Football against the Cowboys, as Brock Purdy and George Kittle put on a show together.
If there were any critics who felt the San Francisco 49ers either hadn't been tested seriously enough this season by a true contender, the Week 5 Sunday Night Football showdown against the Dallas Cowboys was going to be the real test.
Well, after a 42-10 beatdown of Dallas at the hands of quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle and a swarming Niners defense, San Francisco cemented itself as a top favorite for the Super Bowl this deep into the seaon.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, have to travel back home after being utterly embarrassed in prime time in front of a national audience.
Purdy was awesome, Kittle set a personal record and running back Christian McCaffrey continued his touchdown-scoring streak. And those starters found themselves pulled by the end of the game because of the lopsided score.
Chances are, you watched the game. But here are the exciting parts that fans (at least 49ers fans) will want to watch over and over again.
Brock Purdy proves doubters wrong (again)
The cries against Purdy being the real deal are getting quieter by the week, and the second-year quarterback posting a 17-of-24 mark for 252 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 144.4 passer rating will help ensure that.
Purdy also didn't just rely on the "dink and dunk" approach that so many associate him with either, and many of his throws were aggressive, down the field and through perfect windows.
Like this one:
While he might not be the most athletic player out there, Purdy is cementing himself as one of the best processors after the snap.
Sunday night proved it.
George Kittle has his first-ever 3-touchdown game
Kittle and Purdy had a special rapport late last season, but that hasn't totally come to fruition this season. In fact, during the Niners' Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Kittle had a mere one catch for 9 yards.
Week 5, however, was another story.
Kittle led all San Francisco pass-catchers with 67 yards, and the veteran All-Pro also posted a first for his established career: a three-touchdown game, including this hat trick catch in the third quarter:
Related story: George Kittle has his first 3-touchdown game ever
The 49ers' big three receivers, the others being wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, also cashed in with 55 and 58 yards, respectively, meaning Purdy had no issues spreading around the wealth.
While McCaffrey continued his own dominance on the ground and through the air, too.
Christian McCaffrey keeps his 49ers franchise record moving
A week ago, McCaffrey broke a franchise record by scoring a touchdown in his 13th consecutive game, a cherished mark once held by the greatest player in NFL history, Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
McCaffrey added onto that with his 14th touchdown in the game:
McCaffrey had 51 yards on the ground and another 27 through the air. There isn't much more that he can do.
Fred Warner, 49ers defense puts on another show (again)
At one point during NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast, color analyst Cris Collinsworth pointed out how All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner was "winning this game by himself."
The stats and performances elsewhere suggest otherwise, but Warner definitely highlighted a defensive output that stressed just how dominant that side of the ball was.
The Niners forced four turnovers, including one by Warner, intercepted Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott three times and held Dallas to less than 200 yards during the meaningful portion of the game before the starters came out.
That's domination and then some, which explains why San Francisco is a perfect 5-0 and Dallas is a mere 3-2.