5 winners (and 2 losers) for 49ers' Sunday Night Football win over Cowboys

The 49ers managed to avoid another fourth-quarter collapse on Sunday night against the Cowboys, generating some clear-cut winners and losers.

A far-too-common theme from the San Francisco 49ers' first half of their 2024 season has been falling apart in the fourth quarter and blowing double-digit leads.

That nearly happened again in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football against the visiting Dallas Cowboys, but the Niners managed to stave off yet another late-game disaster and pulled off a 30-24 victory to get back to the .500 mark right before hitting their bye week.

San Francisco's offense got off to a slow start, surged in the third quarter but also dealt with two key injuries to notable players, running back Jordan Mason (shoulder) and wide receiver Deebo Samuel (ribs), who exited the game and did not return.

However, a bounce-back effort from quarterback Brock Purdy and a statement effort from tight end George Kittle on National Tight End's Day helped ensure the 49ers got to the 30-point threshold and pulled off the win.

Kittle and Purdy are both winners from the affair, and we'll include those in Week 8's winners breakdown.

But there are also a couple of losers, too.

Winner: Tight end George Kittle

In the wake of the Niners losing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) for the season, and with fellow wideout Jauan Jennings (hip) inactive and still missing games, Kittle needed to be a primary threat to get San Francisco's offense back on track.

Well, Kittle did just that.

Not only did The People's Tight End lead the 49ers with six receptions and 128 yards, but he also recorded his team's lone receiving touchdown on the night:

One figured Dallas would want to contain Kittle as much as possible after what he did to the Cowboys a season ago, but the All-Pro responded with an X-factor game and ensured the Niners' third-quarter surge would matter.

Winner: Quarterback Brock Purdy

Purdy, meanwhile, needed to respond after an atrocious Week 7 outing against the Kansas City Chiefs, one that could have gone down as his worst start ever as a pro.

Granted, the Cowboys defense isn't on the same level as that of KC, but Purdy nevertheless had to make plays to get San Francisco back in the win column.

Simply put, he did.

Purdy was effective through the air, going 18-of-26 for 260 yards with the touchdown pass to Kittle, no interceptions and a 114.3 passer rating. But the quarterback did plenty of damage with his legs, too, scrambling for 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Putting that into context, Dallas had a combined 56 yards rushing, and Purdy equaled that on his own.

Loser: Running back Jordan Mason

Perhaps it's not fair to label Mason as a loser, rather a victim of unfortunate circumstance.

Yet that's where Mason is at the moment, going down early with a shoulder issue that ultimately removed him from the game at halftime after a lowly six-carry, 18-yard performance.

The extent of Mason's injury isn't known yet, but his future now has some doubts in the wake of rookie rusher Isaac Guerendo's strong performance in relief, one that netted 85 yards and a touchdown.

With All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey poised to return in November from Achilles injuries, Mason's window to shine has potentially closed.

Winner: Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir

With veteran cornerback Charvarius Ward having an up-and-down season, fellow corner Deommodore Lenoir is emerging as the 49ers' top player at the position.

Such a point was emphasized on Sunday night, as Lenoir was one of two Niners defenders who picked off Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, doing so in incredibly athletic fashion:

Lenoir not only pulled off the interception, but he also forced a fumble in the game, too, which bodes well for his own prospects for a hefty contract on the open market in 2025 when he becomes a free agent.

It's not yet known if San Francisco will be able to afford paying Lenoir the kind of money he wants.

But, as Week 8 showed, Lenoir is going to be worth the dollar amount.

Winner: Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall

Sunday Night Football's broadcast didn't overlook the miraculous story behind rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's journey to get on the field, highlighting the scary shooting incident in an attempted robbery back on Aug. 31.

Pearsall, who made his NFL debut in Week 7, turned into an X-factor in Week 8 by not only hauling in four catches for 38 yards but also by rushing for 39 yards on a nifty end-around play.

The 49ers will need Pearsall in a big way going forward, especially with Samuel nicked up and Aiyuk out for the season.

Two games in, Pearsall is showing why the Niners invested a first-round NFL Draft pick in him last April, and the early results have been promising.

Loser: Safety Talanoa Hufanga

There were some conflicting reports earlier in the week about All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, namely surrounding whether or not he'd be able to return from the wrist injury suffered after just two games played in 2024 and if his season was indeed over.

It seems Hufanga will eventually return, but he shows up in the loser column here, namely because it doesn't appear as if San Francisco will need him back, at least not in a starter's role.

The current safety duo of Ji'Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha appears poised to be the final line of the 49ers defense for the foreseeable future. Brown, for instance, hauled in the other interception off the hand of Prescott and finished the game with a high-quality 86.4 Pro Football Focus game grade.

Mustapha, meanwhile, doesn't look like a fresh-faced rookie whatsoever.

Hufanga's value is still there, and the Niners would happily have him back, if healthy.

However, Hufanga is far less vital to San Francisco than he was at the season's outset.

Winner: Safety Malik Mustapha

San Francisco's offense struggled in the first half of Sunday Night Football before its third-quarter surge, meaning the defense had to hold the line early against Prescott and Co.

A big reason why it was able to do so? Mustapha.

The first-year defensive back, who already carries a reputation for bone-jarring hits, helped thwart a couple of Cowboys' offensive drives, particularly on one where he broke up a pass intended for tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford.

Additionally, Mustapha's hit on Dallas tight end Jake Ferguson set another tone and stalled that particular drive, too.

Mustapha still makes some rookie mistakes, but it's clear the 49ers have something special in him.

Read more from Niner Noise