49ers torched in Big D, 35-22

'Niners fall to 3-8

The 49ers had their shot to upset the Cowboys in Dallas. The San Francisco defense pitched a first quarter shutout, but the offense floundered and settled for two field goals and a weak 6-0 lead. In the second quarter, the Dallas defense returned the favor and blanked the 49ers’ offense. Tony Romo and Terrell Owens took advantage and posted 22 points in the quarter. And the game turned in Dallas’ favor just like that and the 49ers returned home with another loss pinned to them.

Except for the second quarter meltdown, the 49ers’ (3-8) defense handled the Cowboys fairly well and limited them to 13 points to the rest of the game. In the game-determining second quarter, Dallas scored two touchdowns, two field goals and a safety. Owens accounted for one of those scores and caught seven passes for 213 yards in the game. The receiver abused the San Francisco secondary, especially cornerback Nate Clements who matched up against him throughout the game. The team’s highest paid player, Clements hasn’t been the lock-down corner he was expected to be when he signed as a free agent.

Instead pressuring the volatile Owens, Clements laid off, which opened up the entire field and allowed him to produce a career game. It didn’t help Clements’ cause that the 49ers’ pass rush only collected one sack. Romo moved freely in the pocket and played an easy game of catch with his receivers.

Offensively, the 49ers failed to score touchdowns when it mattered, which has been a problem for the past few years now. Quarterback Shaun Hill played decently and managed the game well. Hill went 21-of-33 for 303 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Receiver Isaac Bruce had one of his best games of the season with eight catches for 125 yards and one touchdown. Conversely, running back Frank Gore had one of his worst with only 14 carriers for 26 yards.

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San Francisco’s upcoming schedule doesn’t help them out much, but lends to an even darker situation if that’s possible. The 49ers travel to Buffalo on Sunday and then host the Jets the next week. With games against Miami and Washington as well, San Francisco’s best chance to notch one last victory resides in a road game against the Rams. But, after getting their brains beat in by the Bills, Jets and Dolphins, how much will the 49ers have left in St. Louis?

With the loss in Dallas, the 49ers are ensured of a sixth straight non-winning season. The franchise is truly in a bottomless free fall. And if the writing wasn’t on the wall earlier, it’s now printed in large bold letters. The message isn’t anything good or even worth saying.

With the season’s end near, head coach Mike Singletary will have to watch out for his players—to make sure they keep their cool and don’t allow all the frustration inside to bubble out in the form of stupid mistakes. In the third quarter on Sunday, Clements leveled two Cowboys with crushing blows. He emptied all his anger with each hit, but a fine line exists between playing with an edge and losing control. The 49ers need to steady themselves for a tough three-week stretch of games, one that won’t hand them anything, but maybe that’s what they need to become a team—to learn how to snatch victory away from a more talented foe.

By Jim Bucci
ProFootball-fans.com San Francisco 49ers Correspondent