The 49ers alerted the rest of the NFL by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 42–10 on “Sunday Night Football” at Levi’s Stadium.
San Francisco (5-0) remained undefeated with the impressive win. So far this season, coach Kyle Shanahan’s group has proven that they are a step above the rest of the league and will be one of the favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LVIII.
However, the Cowboys’ best player isn’t so sure.
“I don’t think they’re really at a higher level than us,” star pass rusher Micah Parsons told reporters in the locker room after the game. “I think we’re a similar caliber playoff team. Same talent as him, same standards. I just feel like we really need to rethink some things, come together and fix some things.
“I feel like it’s just a few games away. The score doesn’t really determine what really happened there.”
The score was the 49ers’ largest margin of victory in their historic rivalry with the Cowboys. San Francisco outgained Dallas by more than 200 total yards, won the turnover battle 4–1 and outscored its starters early in the fourth quarter.
“I feel like they did nothing but make us beat ourselves up,” Parsons said. “You see third down, I jump offside, and then they get seven [points] Five plays later. …I feel like we’ve defeated ourselves. Good teams are like that, if you beat yourself the magnitude of it shows.
“Today, we were a team with four turnovers. We were a team that couldn’t get off the field. But I don’t think we’re the same caliber at all.”
With losses to the 49ers and Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys fell to 3–2 on the season. Their wins over the bottom-placed New York Jets, New York Giants and New England Patriots – three teams with a combined record of 4-11 through five weeks – are looking less impressive as the season gets older.
But Parsons remains positive. On a night when he was limited to four tackles and no sacks, Parsons insisted he was keeping the big picture in mind. The Cowboys just learned a lesson Sunday night in Santa Clara.
“Sometimes, you have to look at these losses as blessings and just say ‘thank you,'” Parsons said.
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