The San Francisco 49ers needed Sunday night's win over the Dallas Cowboys to avoid slipping further below .500 and falling in the NFC West standings. Despite a late-game surge by the Cowboys, the 49ers managed to hold on for a 30-24 victory.
San Francisco hopes this win will build momentum for the second half of the season. The team, sitting at 4-4 heading into the bye week, has yet to secure consecutive wins this season.
"It wasn't the start [to the season] that we would have wanted," linebacker Fred Warner told NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. "We dropped a couple early that we should have had, and had some injuries, but I don't feel like that's an excuse. We've got to continue to get better as a group. It's not about this fluctuation of getting up for a game and then losing one.
"We've just got to continue to get better, and that's what we're focused on going into the bye week, is getting healthy, hopefully getting some guys back, and just being our best version of ourselves going forward."
The 49ers expect two key players—running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Jauan Jennings—to return to practice during the bye week. McCaffrey has been sidelined all season with Achilles tendinitis, while Jennings has missed the last two games with a hip injury.
Fred Warner hopes the 49ers "get better" as a group and healthier over the bye week 💪@Tomapapa // @rodbrooksTV pic.twitter.com/zPNWPpkCI2
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 28, 2024
Warner expressed frustration over the defense's performance late in Sunday's game, as they allowed the Cowboys to chip away at a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter.
"Obviously, we made it a game when it didn't need to be, especially defensively," Warner told reporters in his post-game media availability. "Freebies where they didn't have to earn it. You know, 88 (CeeDee Lamb) is wide open, their best player. Can't let it happen.
"We put ourselves in that situation, so we had to get ourselves out. It was about going out there and finishing the game, and we did that."
Warner attributed many of the defensive lapses to miscommunications, which have led to several late-game breakdowns this season. Despite these challenges, he remains confident in the team's potential to surge in the second half of the season.
The 49ers' next game is scheduled for November 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.