The score wound up against the Dallas Cowboys as they lost the San Francisco 49ers 24-21 in the preseason opener. But that was not the real story. What was important was that Dallas got out of the game reasonably healthy, and saw a lot more good than bad from the players - especially those that are sure to be on the team this year. It felt a little worrisome at first to find out that the starters (with a few notable exceptions) would be playing a “series or two”, but that feeling is largely just paranoia about preseason injuries. And it didn’t take long for the first string offense to inject a little confidence, as the Cowboys took the opening possession and marched 75 yards in 10 plays, capping it all with a really beautiful 30-yard touchdown pass from Dak Pescott to Michael Gallup. The defender seemed to give up on the play for a moment, but it doesn’t take anything away from what may be a glimpse of the future of the WR1 position in Dallas. Along the way, the team showed that the run game was still strong even without Ezekiel Elliott, as Prescott and Rod Smith combined for 41 yards rushing. Oh, and Dak left the game with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Not a bad start. The starting defense had a good first series as well. They gave up a couple of first downs, both on third down completions by Jimmy Garappolo, but a tackle for a loss of six yards put the 49ers behind the sticks, and they got off the field. The flow to the ball was what you wanted to see, and Jaylon Smith looked particularly good. And Joe Thomas, filling in for Sean Lee, showed he was quite ready, notching three tackles on the way. Things were crisp on both sides of the ball to start the game for Dallas, but most of the starters exited the field after that. (Not all, however, as Connor Williams and the starters in the secondary stayed out there, and the wide receivers were rotated.) As generally happens, things were, shall we say, spotty from then on. But there were still a lot of things to take note of. One thing that became evident throughout the first half was the penetration of the defensive line. They were getting up field, and not just to chase the quarterback. There were multiple tackles behind the line. Antwaun Woods and Datone Jones were making their presence known, and Jihad Ward had a pass deflection. Brian Price would show up later chasing a screen pass down from behind. Suddenly the interior of the defensive line doesn’t look nearly as shaky. But the best play along the line may have come from Taco Charlton. On more than one play, he was chasing the QB and really disrupting things. And Dorance Armstrong also was making himself a pain for the opponents. Charles Tapper didn’t get in the game until the third quarter, but promptly came up with a fumble recovery. There were some encroachment penalties, but the actual play of the rushmen was very encouraging. In the battle of the backups, Cooper Rush had a bit of a rough start, but put together a nice drive in the second quarter. He hooked up with both Tavon Austin and Blake Jarwin on the drive. And Bo Scarbrough had a big 28 yard power run, where he broke through a tackle near the line and got rumbling downfield. He wound up capping the drive off with a hard fought run from inside the 1 yard line. Add in the fact he was being used in kick coverage, and he may be staking a solid claim to that last running back spot. That score put the Cowboys up 14-0, but it also had one of the more negative plays of the game, as rookie TE Dalton Shultz was driven back and almost wound up ruining the play. Anthony Brown also wound up drawing a couple of flags, including a pass interference call inside the two minute warning that set up a touchdown run to get the 49ers on the board. It was a breakdown in technique, as he appeared to be in perfect position to defend the pass, but never looked back for the ball. However, the dreaded helmet rule did not rear its head in the first half. That was something of a relief. It finally showed up late in the third quarter, and was called against the other guys, so it must not be such a bad thing after all, right? The defense also got turnovers, including when Kavon Frazier came on a blitz and went up to deflect the pass, which Joe Thomas grabbed. There have been a lot of questions about just what Dallas has for receivers, but during the first half that did not look like a problem at all. In addition to the Gallup TD, there were receptions by a lot of players, and one name that cropped up was Jamize Olawale. He has been touted as being much more of an offensive weapon than your average fullback, and it certainly looks like that is the plan. He was targeted twice, and caught both balls. One, however, was called back on a penalty. And Lance Lenoir had a toe-tap touchdown catch in the second half, plus he was back fielding punts, and looked to be doing well at it. That extra value on special teams just reinforces his case to make the 53 man roster. You expect to see a lot of different players get receptions in a preseason game, but there were at least eight players that are sure to make the roster that caught balls, a couple more who have a good shot, and the team did not have Cole Beasley or Deonte Thompson on the field. And the ball went to wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, and the fullback. The plan to spread the ball around seems alive and well.<doc-sep>Click HERE if you’re having trouble viewing the gallery on your mobile device. SANTA CLARA – Thursday’s exhibition opener provided the first clues as to who might make and miss the 49ers final cuts. Here’s a press-box evaluation from the 24-21 comeback win against the Dallas Cowboys: THREE STUDS 1. Linebacker Reuben Foster: Besieged by legal issues this offseason, linebacker Reuben Foster was a positive presence. His best play: leaping to make a one-handed breakup of a 20-yard pass intended for speedster Tavon Austin. Foster also broke down the 49ers pregame huddle, showing he’s the same, energetic leader he was last year as a rookie. 2. Wide receiver Richie James: He capped his pro debut with a 7-yard, go-ahead touchdown catch with 18 seconds remaining. Filling in as the starting slot receiver, he ran a crossing route to nab a 9-yard pass from Garoppolo on third-and-8 on the opening series. James, a seventh-round pick from Middle Tennessee state, later had a 21-yard catch into Cowboys territory on the 49ers’ only touchdown drive before halftime. “I just really have to give credit to Nick. That was a good ball,” James said of the touchdown. “It was in the right window. He did a really good job.” 3. Defensive tackle Jullian Taylor: A seventh-round pick and the last member of this year’s draft class, Taylor started at the “big end” spot, played well throughout and produced a fourth-quarter sack. “It’s refreshing,” Taylor said. “I’m taking everything in, and I’m out of words.” THREE DUDS 1. Cornerback Jimmie Ward: Richard Sherman’s temp did not have a stellar return to cornerback, having been switched last season to free safety. Ward got beat down the sideline for a 30-yard touchdown catch by a rookie (Michael Gallup) and later gave up a third-down conversion to a proven vet (Allen Hurns). Shanahan said it looked like Ward stopped his feet expecting a different route on the touchdown. 2. Linebacker Malcolm Smith: His long-awaited debut in a 49ers uniform lasted only six snaps. He hobbled off with a hamstring injury, adding to a medical chart that included a season-ending pectoral tear last training camp and a heel injury prior to this camp. Backups Elijah Lee and Korey Toomer didn’t fare too favorably after Smith and Foster exited.<doc-sep>Many preseason games are unwatchable, but the 49ers’ exhibition opener Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium was particularly hard to witness. At least it was for those in attendance eager to have the home team reach the regular season in one piece. In a 24-21 win over the Cowboys, the 49ers sustained notable losses: Six players, including four starters and two key backups, were lost to injuries in the first half. Those hurt included tight end George Kittle (shoulder), inside linebacker Malcolm Smith (hamstring), defensive tackle Solomon Thomas (concussion), backup running back Matt Breida (shoulder), outside linebacker Eli Harold (knee) and offensive tackle Garry Gilliam (concussion). Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo termed the rash of injuries “crazy.” “It’s what scares you about training camp; it’s what scares you about the preseason,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “You kind of just want the game to end when those things start happening because you want those guys when the season starts. But we also need to practice and get better. So it’s just something you have to deal with.” Of that group, Breida, the only player who didn’t exit to the locker room, was only briefly examined by the medical staff. And Harold briefly returned to game before he was forced to exit again. Shanahan said Kittle and Breida would miss “some time” and he didn’t expect them to practice next week or play when the 49ers visit Houston on Aug. 18. Kittle, whose strong training camp has suggested he’s ready to build on his promising 2017 rookie season, had his right shoulder examined on the sideline. He then headed to the locker room with his right arm pinned to his midsection. Kittle stayed on the ground for a few moments after he was hit trying to corral a deep pass over the middle from Garoppolo on the 49ers’ opening drive. For Smith, his hamstring injury was the latest medical setback of his brief 49ers tenure. After signing a five-year deal last year, Smith missed the 2017 season with a torn pectoral sustained early in training camp. After missing the first four training-camp practices this year with an unspecified lower leg injury, he said this week he was eager to see his first game action Thursday since January 2017 when he was with the Raiders. His long-awaited return was short-lived: Smith was injured on the game’s opening drive and was in the locker room by the time the Cowboys finished it with a touchdown. In his only series, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott directed a 75-yard march capped by a 30-yard pass to wideout Michael Gallup. On the score, Gallup beat cornerback Jimmie Ward, who was replacing Richard Sherman (hamstring), on a streak down the right sideline. As expected, most of the 49ers’ biggest names barely broke a sweat. ALSO: 49ers rookie DT Taylor finishes strong debut with flourish On offense, rookie right tackle Mike McGlinchey and right guard Mike Person were the only starters to play after their nine-play first drive ended with a punt. Garoppolo completed 3 of 6 passes for 34 yards and running back Jerick McKinnon (three carries, minus-4 yards) received woeful run blocking. On defense, tackle DeForest Buckner, nose tackle Earl Mitchell and safety Jaquiski Tartt exited after one series. Many other starters played through the first quarter, including inside linebacker Reuben Foster, who sprinted about 20 yards downfield to break up a sideline pass to wideout Tavon Austin. Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard rebounded from a miserable start in which he completed 2 of 8 passes for 51 yards with an interception in the red zone. Beathard finished by completing 8 of 12 passes for 130 yards, including a 53-yard rainbow to rookie wideout Dante Pettis, who easily slipped behind the Cowboys’ coverage. With the 49ers trailing 21-16 at the two-minute warning, third-string QB Nick Mullens led a six-play, 77-yard drive he capped with a 7-yard pass to rookie wideout Richie James with 18 seconds left. Mullens added a two-point conversion pass to tight end Wes Saxton. Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch<doc-sep>It happened. The Dallas Cowboys played a football game, and it was beautiful. The San Francisco 49ers edged out a win late, but as we all know scores and records don’t matter in the preseason. What’s important is what we saw from the team, and that’s what we’re here to discuss. We learned a lot about the Cowboys from tonight’s game. Here are 10 takeaways. Michael Gallup looks very promising off of a very small sample size If your first catch ever (even in preseason) is for a touchdown, you’ve got to be doing something right. Such was the case for Michael Gallup who caught a 30-yard pass from Dak Prescott for the first score of the evening. Gallup looked great on the opening drive and he would have had another big gain later on if Cooper Rush (we’ll get there) didn’t sail it over his head. The hype is justified for now. The first-team offense looked great as a whole There was no Ezekiel Elliott nor Cole Beasley for the Cowboys in San Francisco, but they still managed to move the ball quite smoothly on their opening drive. Over the course of the night Michael Gallup, Allen Hurns, and Tavon Austin all got work and even did so together for a bit. At one point early on Tavon and Gallup lined up outside with Hurns at the slot. Scott Linehan is feeling wild. Jaylon Smith might be really good It’s one preseason game and not even a whole contest for him, but Jaylon Smith honestly looked incredible in the limited action we saw him in on Thursday. Jaylon’s movement has been heralded by various Cowboys staffers over the offseason, the brace-less life must really be a good one. Jaylon flew around the 49ers offense early and often. He wasn’t the only Cowboys defender to play well, and he wasn’t even the only linebacker. The Cowboys might have known what they were doing getting Joe Thomas While there were, thankfully, a few good plays to choose from, the second quarter might have provided the most exciting play on the night for the Cowboys. Kavon Frazier tipped a pass and Joe Thomas dove to snatch it. Kavon Frazier with the tip, Joe Thomas with the interception! : @NFL pic.twitter.com/Fvoue2q3Lw — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) August 10, 2018 Thomas had a great game all night long and is a welcome extra linebacker among the unit we’ve been discussing for a few weeks. He finished with five total tackles, one TFL, one pass defense and the INT, that’s quite a night. The defense looked great, especially the linebackers, in a game without Sean Lee. Think about that. Anthony Brown didn’t have his best game ever, and that’s okay Many have been dismayed about Anthony Brown being given slot duties over Jourdan Lewis and while Brown has justified that through training camp, he didn’t have his best game ever in San Francisco. Brown didn’t exactly play terribly, but he’s had better games. We know that talent is there, but we also know Jourdan Lewis is sitting behind him. Did Thursday open the door for more of a competition? We’ll have to wait and see. Cooper Rush struggled early, but he came back somewhat strong The first half was not too great for the second-year quarterback, but he settled into the game in the third quarter. Cooper has fought off Mike White so far through camp, and he really showed why in the third quarter. Cooper has an ability to adjust to games as he’s playing through them that can only be obtained by NFL experience, and he doesn’t have a lot of that. It’s a quality that makes him such a great option, and one that likely keeps him as the primary back up. He finished the game 15 of 23 for 145 yards, one TD and a 97.2 rating. Lance Lenoir should definitely be on the 53-man roster Part of what Cooper Rush did well was find Lance Lenoir for a score. He rolled right, launched on the run, and found a toe-dragging Lenoir near the out-of-bounds marker. Lenoir also got in some work on returns which plagued him a preseason ago; he didn’t set the world on fire but he did just fine. Lenoir is making the receiver position a much-debated one, but something that is almost universally agreed upon is that he should be a part of it. The third running back is going to be difficult to determine Even though Darius Jackson was listed ahead of him on the depth chart early in the week, Bo Scarbrough got the first level of work after Rod Smith. Bo made an awful lot out of his carries, including this big-time one. He’d go on to score on a nice short-yardage run later in the game, too. Scarbrough had nine carries for 33 yards and one TD, while catching two passes for 19 yards. There’s no denying that Bo looked good, but Darius Jackson came in later and looked great as well finishing with 21 yards on six carries. It’s hard to analyze the Cowboys running back group because of Tavon Austin and how exactly the Cowboys will qualify him, but for now the competition between Bo and Darius is close, but Scarbrough had the edge tonight Dorance Armstrong looked great yet again Perhaps the MVP of training camp so far has been rookie pass rusher Dorance Armstrong. Armstrong came out in San Francisco and cemented the fact that he’s changing jersey numbers because he’s making the 53-man roster and there’s no way he’s doing it as #74. He only had two tackles but was creating pressure and disruption. Dorance is a welcome find for the Cowboys along the defensive line, and the fact that he keeps impressing is extremely positive. He’s now doing it against the Cowboys offensive line and against other NFL competition. That’s impressive stuff. Turnovers might actually be a thing this season It was just one preseason game, but the Cowboys forced a hat trick of turnovers. Joe Thomas and Duke Thomas each had interceptions while Charles Tapper recovered a fumble.<doc-sep>
The first preseason game is in the books as the San Francisco 49ers defeated our beloved Dallas Cowboys 24-21 on Thursday night. We got a little taste of the starters with a good dose of action from the new guys. Despite the sloppiness that usually accompanies preseason ball, the offense didn’t turn the ball over (except for that last Hail Mary) and the team survived without any costly injuries. There was a lot to digest in game no. 1 and here are this week’s winners and losers. WINNERS Dak Prescott In typical Dak Prescott fashion, the Cowboys young quarterback followed up a very uninspiring training camp performance with some great play in preseason football. He only played in one series, but he made it count. He finished 3/3 for 39 yards and a touchdown. He also took off and ran once for 12 yards, helping the offense keep the chains moving. The preseason marvel continues. In 2016, Dak completed 78% of his passes and had a 137.8 passer rating. Last year, he improved to 82% and 138.4 passer rating. He’s off to a good start, completing 100% of his passes with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Joe Thomas The free agent linebacker was all over the field last night. He finished the game with five tackles (three solo), including one behind the line of scrimmage. He also had one pass break-up as well as being the benefactor of Kavon Frazier’s tipped pass where Thomas was able to come down with the interception. He was brought to Dallas to give them a solid coverage linebacker and so far, he’s as good as advertised. Michael Gallup What a great start for the Cowboys rookie wide receiver. On the game’s first drive, Gallup would catch a 30-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott. It was his only catch of the night, however, it shouldn’t have been. Gallup would also beat his man deep, but unfortunately Cooper Rush was way short on his throw, allowing the defender to catch up to Gallup. A good throw and the rookie is off to the races. Bo Scarbrough Fans got a good look at what a tired defense looks like when they try to arm tackle Scarbrough as the rookie running back got loose for a 28-yard run to set up the offense inside the red zone. Scarbrough got plenty of chances to show his skill as he carried the ball nine times for a total of 33 yards (3.7 yards per carry). While he didn’t have a lot room to run at times, he would power his way in short-yardage situations. He scored a touchdown at the goal line and could’ve had another one in the second half had he not slipped. But more than just his thumping running style, Scarbrough demonstrated that he can be an asset in the passing game, hauling in two catches for 19 yards. Lance Lenoir With each new day, there becomes more and more to love about this “long-shot” receiver. And Thursday’s game was no exception as Lenoir would come down with a nice toe-drag touchdown pass to help the team go up 21-10 in the third quarter. Not only is he playing his way on to the team, but I’m to the point where I’m looking forward to what type of plays he’s going to make in the regular season. The guy has worked so hard and the amount of improvement he’s shown this season is commendable. Sign up for the newsletter Rise ’n Grind Want NFL news and interesting links in your inbox every weekday morning? Rise ’n grind with us. Email (required) By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. Subscribe LOSERS The Corners The 49ers receiving group shouldn’t cause defenses a lot of problems, but the Cowboys young corners found themselves out of position a few times. Chidobe Awuzie surrendered a couple receptions that resulted in first downs. Anthony Brown got called for a pass interference penalty that set up a 49ers touchdown. And Jourdan Lewis got beat deep for the longest reception of the game. And the depth guys completely collapsed, allowing the 49ers to charge down the field and score two touchdowns in the final five minutes of the game. I had no idea who 49ers’ 8th-string quarterback Nate Mullins was before tonight and I would have preferred to have kept it that way.