Cowboys vs. 49ers live score, updates, highlights from NFL ‘Sunday Night Football

The Cowboys will take on the 49ers for Week 8’s “Sunday Night Football” matchup. Both teams that were expected to be powerhouses in the NFC have dealt with slow starts to the season marred by big injuries.

Dallas is 3-3 and is coming off a 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions — the second blowout loss at home for the team this season. The Cowboys fell, 44-19, to the New Orleans Saints in their home opener.

The Cowboys’ defense has been down DaRon Bland, a big blow to their secondary. The biggest missing piece has been linebacker Micah Parsons. He sets the tone on the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys but has been sidelined with an ankle injury. Parsons wasn’t able to practice this week and has already been ruled out ahead of the game.

San Francisco is no stranger to big injuries. The 49ers are still without star running back Christian McCaffrey who is hopefully going to return to the field in Week 10 after the team’s Week 9 bye. Backup running back Jordan Mason is expected to shake off a nagging shoulder injury and suit up in the game.

The San Francisco wide receiver room has been decimated by injuries. Jauan Jennings had had big games stepping up for a sidelined Deebo Samuel, but Jennings has been ruled out with a hip injury. Samuel didn’t play much last week and was hospitalized dealing with pneumonia, but he is going to play in this matchup. No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk tore his MCL and ACL last week and is done for the season. 

Follow along as Sporting News provides a play-by-play as the Cowboys take on the 49ers on Sunday night.

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Cowboys vs. 49ers live score Q1Q2Q3Q4FCowboys010—49ers33—Cowboys vs. 49ers updates, highlights from Sunday Night FootballAll times ET. 

9:48 p.m. — Purdy scrambles out of the backfield and picks up a first down. He was ruled out of bounds so the clock stopped, after review it was revealed the clock should have kept running, but San Francisco just takes a timeout. Their first of the half. 

Purdy finds his tight end Kittle for a 30-yard gain down the middle of the field. The 49ers are on the Dallas 40 and take their second timeout. 

— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2024Purdy targets Guerendo, but it falls incomplete. He fumbles, but San Francisco recovers it. The 49ers take their last timeout. Purdy then misses Chris Conley and the Niners are out of field goal range. They punt to the Dallas 2, with 20 seconds left in the half. 

9:45 p.m. — Prescott finds Tolbert for a seven-yard gain. He then misses Ferguson and Lamb on consecutive plays. Despite the Cowboys using timeouts to try to buy themselves more time for one more drive, it is a three and out and they punt back to San Francisco with a minute left in the half. 

SCORE: FIELD GOAL– Cowboys 10, 49ers 69:38 p.m. — Mason is dealing with a shoulder injury and is questionable to return. Guerendo picked up 19 yards on his next carry, but it was called back due to a hold. Purdy missed Samuel on 1st and 20. 

The San Francisco quarterback hits Guerendo to the right and he picks up five yards. The Niners face 3rd and 15. Purdy finds Kittle for a 10 yard gain. 

Dallas takes a timeout with 1:35 left as the Niners line up for a field goal. Carlos remains perfect on the night and connects from 44 yards. 

9:35 p.m. — Guerendo got a carry and took it 19 yards before following it up with a 15-yard gain. The first half has come to the two-minute warning. 

SCORE: FIELD GOAL — Cowboys 10, 49ers 39:27 p.m. — Prescott finds Lamb for another three-yard gain. He then had his first incomplete pass of the game, outside of the interception. Ferguson gets another reception for a one-yard gain, but then fumbles. He manages to recover it and Brandon Aubrey knocks through a 29-yard field goal. 

9:24 p.m. — San Francisco gets flagged for a neutral zone infraction. On first and five, Lamb gets another five-yard reception. Cook got another carry but didn’t pick up any yards. 

Prescott hit Ferguson after play action, and the tight end caught it one-handed while picking up six yards. The Dallas QB scrambles on third down, but hits Jalen Tolbert deep down the field for 28 yards. The Niners were flagged for illegal contact, but that was obviously declined. 

9:21 p.m. — After the timeout, Purdy tried to find Samuel for the first down but couldn’t complete the pass. Dallas takes over on downs on their own 43-yard line. 

9:17 p.m. — Purdy hits Samuel for a short five-yard gain, and Mason picks up one yard on his next carry. The Niners give it to Mason on third and four, and he picks up one.

Dallas takes its first timeout with 6:35 left in the half as San Francisco lined up to go for it. 

9:13 p.m. — Mason is back on the field to start the drive. Purdy hits Samuel for a 68-yard score. San Francisco was called for a hold, and the score was nullified. They went for a potential 68-yard touchdown to 1st and 20. 

Purdy hits Pearsall for 11 yards. Mason picked up two yards on a carry to the left. On third and seven, Purdy connects with Pearsall for a 13-yard gain and a first down right on the 50-yard line.  

SCORE: TOUCHDOWN! — Cowboys 7, 49ers 39:10 p.m. — Prescott looked for his other tight end Luke Schoonmaker in the endzone, but Charvarius Ward was called for defensive pass interference. This placed the ball at the one-yard line and Elliott punched it in for the score on the next play. 

— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 20249:05 p.m. — Cook starts the second quarter with a two-yard gain. On third and four, Prescott finds Lamb for a 15-yard gain. Elliott picks up 11 yards on his next carry and Dallas is in the redzone for the first time this game. 

Nick Bosa gets his first sack of the game, taking down Prescott on first down. Elliott gets the five yards lost on the sack, back on second down with another carry. Third and 10 upcoming. 

— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2024Prescott hits his tight end Ferguson on a screen and he pushes forward for a first down. 

End of 1st quarter: 49ers 3, Cowboys 08:58 p.m. — Prescott starts the drive off connecting with Lamb on a six-yard gain. Jalen Tolbert gets an 11-yard gain, but Dallas had two players called for holding. It will not be 2nd and 14 from their 31. 

Elliott gets a carry and takes it up the middle for four yards. It will be 3rd and 10. Turpin gets a pitch out of the backfield and takes it for 12 yards. He fumbles the ball at the end, but it was recovered by an offensive lineman for a first down. 

Cook gets a four-yard gain to bring up the end of the quarter. 

8:55 p.m. — After a big hit on Turpin on the return, both teams resort to shoving. Both teams got personal fouls. Nothing super notable or fun, but tensions appear high. Dallas takes over on its 36-yard line. 

8:53 p.m. — Backup running back Isaac Guerendo got his first carry of the game in relief of Mason. He picked up four yards. Purdy missed Kittle on third down so the Niners will punt. 

8:51 p.m. — Mason got evaluated by trainers, declined to go into the tent and will likely come back after the one mandatory he must miss for being seen by trainers.

Coming out of the break, Purdy hits Kittle for a 16-yard gain. The QB then missed Samuel deep left, bringing up second down. 

8:48 p.m. — Mason got the first carry and took it left for six yards. He was tackled and stayed down on the field, needing to be tended to by trainers. It’s unclear right now what he hurt, but we will put updates here as soon as we get them.

8:45 p.m. — Prescott gets hurried in the pocket and tries to loft one down the field to KaVontae Turpin. Ji’Ayir Brown intercepted the pass and the Niners will take over on their own seven-yard line. 

— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 20248:42 p.m. –Prescott gets his tight end involved and hits Jake Ferguson for a two-yard gain. The quarterback then finds newly elevated Dalvin Cook for a 10-yard gain. Cook then earned a carry on the next play but only picked up one yard. 

Prescott finds his favorite target, Lamb, on the right sideline for a 10-yard gain, just shy of a first down. The booth reviewed the play and determined he got the first down, so the chains were moved.

SCORE: FIELD GOAL — 49ers 3, Cowboys 08:38 p.m. — Pearsall had his second catch of the night for six yards. It was third and 10 on the Dallas 36 and Mason ran the ball up the middle for four yards. 

San Francisco kicker Anders Carlson nailed a 50-yard field goal to take the first lead of the night. 

8:36 p.m. — Running back Jordan Mason got his first carry of the night for four yards. Mason picked up five yards on the next play, but it was called back due to holding. 

8:34 p.m. — The 49ers get cute on first down and give the first carry to Deebo Samuel for a yard. Brock Purdy then hits Ricky Pearsall for an eight-yard gain in his NFL debut. After a false start, San Francisco faced third and six. 

Purdy hit Samuel for a 47-yard gain after poor tackling attempts by Dallas’ defense. 

— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 20248:29 p.m. — The head-scratching offensive calls by the Cowboys came early. Zeke didn’t pick up any yards on first down, and Lamb had another five-yard reception. Then, fullback Hunter Luepke lined up in the backfield on third and five, and they handed it off to him. San Francisco’s defense was all over it, and Dallas had to punt. 

8:27 p.m. — First play from scrimmage for the Cowboys is a seven-yard carry by Ezekiel Elliott. A storyline to watch in this game will be how backfield work is split between Zeke and Dalvin Cook.

Cowboys picked up a first down on the next play with a four-yard reception by CeeDee Lamb.

8:25 p.m. — The ball has been kicked and we are off. San Francisco kicked off, and will get the ball at halftime. Dallas starts on offense. It’s worth noting that the Cowboys won the toss and elected to receive. 

Pre-game8:15 p.m. — It is National Tight Ends Day around the NFL and the San Francisco position group celebrated by running out on the field together. Kickoff is next.

All of the tight ends ran out for #NationalTightEndsDay 😂 pic.twitter.com/boY4Ktm6sA

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 28, 20248:00 p.m. — Niners showing off their clean uniforms taking the field.

These #94Niners uniforms 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/1rG3XrKW2i

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 27, 20247:45 p.m. — Kickoff is about 35 minutes away and the Cowboys are heading out onto the field to continue warm-ups. 

🔜🔜🔜#DALvsSF | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/k5UTED5dbs

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 27, 20247:30 p.m. — Defensive captain Fred Warner gave an impassioned speech to his team during the pre-game, which caught the eye of the 49ers’ media. 

Fred Warner just gave the longest and most impassioned pre-pads speech that I’ve ever seen from him to his 49ers teammates pic.twitter.com/tT6dwoxPYI

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 27, 20247:15 p.m. — For those wanting to bet on the game, the 49ers are 5.5-point favorites at Caesar’s Sportsbook. San Francisco is installed at -260 on the moneyline, while Dallas is the +210 underdog. The point total is set at 47.5.

6:50 p.m. — Here are the Cowboys’ inactives for the game. As expected, Dowdle is out. Also notable, Dallas only has three healthy corners. 

Cowboys inactives: DE Micah Parsons, QB Trey Lance (3rd QB), CB Caelen Carson, RB Rico Dowdle, CB Andrew Booth, OT Matt Waletzko …

Cowboys going with three corners: Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, Amani Oruwariye. Israel Mukuamu would likely move to corner if needed in-game.

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) October 27, 2024Here are San Francisco’s inactives. Tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel were both questionable, but both are active for the game. 

Tonight’s @DignityHealth inactives.

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 27, 20246:45 p.m. — Dallas will be wearing their iconic white jerseys with grey helmets and grey pants, 

‘Boys in the Bay 🌁#DALvsSF | @Lucas_Oil pic.twitter.com/DAXejyhWOH

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 27, 2024San Francisco will have their tan helmets paired with red jerseys and white pants. 

Waiting all day for Sunday Night 🏟 pic.twitter.com/ZsZuhXCUys

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 27, 20246:30 p.m. — Inactives aren’t due for another 15 or 20 minutes, but Dallas is going to be without Dowdle. He got ill when he arrived to the stadium and will not be able to play.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 27, 20246:15 p.m. — The weather report for Levi’s Stadium looks good. It is expected to be 68 degrees at kickoff, with 10 mph winds. It should remain above 60 degrees throughout the game and less than a 10% chance of rain, per AccuWeather. 

6 p.m. — Rico Dowdle arrived to the game feeling sick, per Tom Pelissero. The running back is now considered questionable for the game. Dallas had elevated Dalvin Cook to be the team’s third running back option, but the veteran may have a larger workload than anticipated if Dowdle can’t go. 

Cowboys vs. 49ers start timeDate: Sunday, October 26Start time: 8:20 p.m. ETKickoff from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Given the pre-game festivities and national anthem, though, don’t be surprised if the game kicks off a few minutes late. 

What channel is Cowboys vs. 49ers on today?TV channel: NBCLive stream: Peacock, Fubo (US)”Sunday Night Football” will air on NBC as it usually does, and it can be streamed live on Peacock. Fubo offers a free trial, and its lineup includes access to NBC. 

Cowboys schedule 2024WeekDateOpponentTime (ET)TVTickets1Sept. 8at Browns4:30 p.m.Fox–2Sept. 15vs. Saints1 p.m.Fox–3Sept. 22vs. Ravens4:25 p.m.Fox–4Sept. 26 (Thurs.) at Giants8:15 p.m.Amazon Prime–5Oct. 6at Steelers8:20 p.m.NBC–6Oct. 13vs. Lions4:25 p.m.Fox–7Bye week ——————–8Oct. 27at 49ers8:20 p.m.NBCBuy now9Nov. 3vs. Falcons1 p.m.FoxBuy now10Nov. 10vs. Eagles4:25 p.m.CBSBuy now11Nov. 18 (Mon.)vs. Texans8:15 p.m.ESPNBuy now12Nov. 24 at Commanders1 p.m.FoxBuy now13Nov. 28 (Thurs.)vs. Giants4.30 p.m.FoxBuy now14Dec. 9 (Mon.)vs. Bengals8:15 p.m.ESPNBuy now15Dec. 15at Panthers1 p.m.FoxBuy now16Dec. 22vs. Buccaneers8:20 p.m .NBCBuy now17Dec. 29at Eagles4:25 p.m.FoxBuy now18TBDvs. CommandersTBDTBDBuy now49ers schedule 2024WeekDateOpponentTime (ET)TVTickets1Sept. 9vs. Jets8:15 p.m.ESPN/ABC–2Sept. 15at Vikings1 p.m.CBS–3Sept. 22at Rams4:25 p.m.Fox–4Sept. 29at Patriots4:05 p.m.Fox–5Oct. 6vs. Cardinals4:05 p.m.Fox–6Oct. 10at Seahawks8:15 p.m.Prime–7Oct. 20vs. Chiefs4:25 p.m.Fox–8Oct. 27vs. Cowboys8:20 p.m.NBCBuy now9–BYE——10Nov. 10at Buccaneers1 p.m.FoxBuy now11Nov. 17vs. Seahawks4:05 p.m.FoxBuy now12Nov. 24at Packers4:25 p.m.FoxBuy now13Dec. 1at Bills8:20 p.m.NBCBuy now14Dec. 8vs. Bears4:25 p.m.FoxBuy now15Dec. 12vs. Rams8:15 p.m.PrimeBuy now16Dec. 22at Dolphins4:25 p.m.CBSBuy now17Dec. 30vs. Lions8:15 p.m.ESPN/ABCBuy now18TBDat CardinalsTBDTBDBuy now

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