Cowboys fall to 49ers but suffer no major injuries
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys 23-6 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, but one thing that the Cowboys weren't able to lose was the health of their major players.
Quarterback Tony Romo announced on social media hours before the game he was going to play in the second preseason game in a venue that the Dallas staff had concerns about the field. For Romo to play three snaps in the opening series, going 1/1 for -1 yards and a 79.2 passer rating, without any injuries is a small victory in the full-scale battle of an NFL season.
"It's always good to get out and play," said Romo. "I would have liked to go a little longer, but we were just going to go the one series. I pushed to get back in, but the coaches have a plan."
Romo was part of a collective quarterbacking effort with backups Brandon Weeden, Dustin Vaughan, and Jameill Showers that went 18/39 yards, 170 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions, and a 35.2 passer rating.
The lone touchdown came from undrafted rookie Jameill Showers, who threw an eight-yard pass to receiver Nick Harwell late in the fourth quarter to establish a 23-6 score after a failed two-point conversion.
Darren McFadden, a free agent who had an injury-riddled seven seasons with the Oakland Raiders, started the game and only carried the ball three times for four yards. He also caught a pass for three yards from Weeden.
"I was going out there with the mindset that I was playing a full game," McFadden said. "That's the way I approach it. I'm going to go out there and I'm going to be in every play. And that's the way I approach it."
McFadden exited the game without any injuries, and the same goes for third-year running back Joseph Randle, who has been dealing with a lingering strained oblique. Randle carried the ball seven times for 30 yards with all his snaps coming in the first half.
The bright spots for the Cowboys included the play of the young defensive line. Second-round defensive end Randy Gregory got his second preseason sack along with two tackles. Rookie defensive end Ryan Russell also got a sack along with second-year defensive end Ben Gardner.
"We'll watch the tape and see what happened, but that seemed to be one of the bright spots in the game," Jason Garrett said. "We got them in some long down and distance situations. We turned the pass rush loose, created some sacks, forced them to punt the ball in a couple of those situations. So, it seemed like the pass rush did show up in getting after the quarterback."
First-round cornerback Byron Jones, who led the team with five tackles last week, did not play due to a left shoulder injury. Linebacker Keith Rivers led the team in tackles against the 49ers with five.
The Cowboys will host the Minnesota Vikings Saturday, Aug. 29 in AT&T Stadium. Dallas is currently on a seven-game preseason losing streak that dates back to 2013.
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