Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers: 2023 Week 5 Recap

Game story

In Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season on 2023-10-08, the San Francisco 49ers took care of business against the Dallas Cowboys, pulling away with a 42–10 final that controlled the game from start to finish.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 21 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

B. Purdy (San Francisco 49ers) paced the passing game, with +20.71 total EPA, and +5.8% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, B. Purdy (San Francisco 49ers) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +20.71 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-10.3% win probability) landed in the second quarter when San Francisco 49ers changed the game: (15:00) (Shotgun) 23-C.McCaffrey up the middle to DAL 2 for 8 yards (2-J.Lewis). FUMBLES (2-J.Lewis), RECOVERED by DAL-2-J.Lewis at DAL 2.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 B. Purdy · San Francisco 49ers · Passing · +20.71 total EPA · 29 snaps · +0.71 EPA/play
2. 2 G. Kittle · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +6.87 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.72 EPA/play
3. 3 D. Samuel · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +5.94 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.98 EPA/play
4. 4 J. Mason · San Francisco 49ers · Rushing · +3.67 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.37 EPA/play
5. 5 K. Juszczyk · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +3.64 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.91 EPA/play
6. 6 K. Turpin · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +3.62 total EPA · 1 snaps · +3.62 EPA/play
7. 7 C. Lamb · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +2.69 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.54 EPA/play
8. 8 B. Aiyuk · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +2.16 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.31 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• San Francisco 49ers — G. Kittle (B. Purdy pass) (Q1 56:16)
• San Francisco 49ers — G. Kittle (B. Purdy pass) (Q2 43:26)
• Dallas Cowboys — K. Turpin (D. Prescott pass) (Q2 37:51)
• San Francisco 49ers — C. McCaffrey (Q2 32:40)
• San Francisco 49ers — G. Kittle (B. Purdy pass) (Q3 22:24)
• San Francisco 49ers — K. Juszczyk (B. Purdy pass) (Q4 14:22)
• San Francisco 49ers — J. Mason (Q4 14:05)

Field goals

• Dallas Cowboys — B. Aubrey (Q3 26:58)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 7–0. San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the DAL 19 (Q1 56:16) — (11:16) (Shotgun) 13-B.Purdy pass deep right to 85-G.Kittle for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the DAL 15 (Q1 56:10).

The second quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 14–7. San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the DAL 38 (Q2 43:26) — (13:26) (Shotgun) 13-B.Purdy pass deep right to 85-G.Kittle for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN [97-O.Odighizuwa].; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the DAL 15 (Q2 43:16) — 4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky.; Dallas Cowboys found the end zone from the SF 26 (Q2 37:51) — (7:51) (Shotgun) 4-D.Prescott pass deep right to 9-K.Turpin for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN [91-A.Armstead].; Dallas Cowboys added 1 points from the SF 15 (Q2 37:45) — 17-B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-44-T.Sieg, Holder-5-B.Anger.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the DAL 1 (Q2 32:40) — (2:40) 23-C.McCaffrey left guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. PENALTY on SF-65-A.Banks, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced between downs.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the DAL 15 (Q2 32:36) — 4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky..

The third quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 7–3. Dallas Cowboys connected on a field goal from the SF 32 (Q3 26:58) — (11:58) 17-B.Aubrey 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-T.Sieg, Holder-5-B.Anger.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the DAL 10 (Q3 22:24) — (7:24) 13-B.Purdy pass short left to 85-G.Kittle for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the DAL 15 (Q3 22:20) — 4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky..

The fourth quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 14–0. San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the DAL 1 (Q4 14:22) — (14:22) 13-B.Purdy pass short right to 44-K.Juszczyk for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the DAL 15 (Q4 14:19) — 4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the DAL 26 (Q4 14:05) — (14:05) 24-J.Mason left end for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN. DAL-55-L.Vander Esch was injured during the play.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the DAL 15 (Q4 13:59) — 4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 45:00) — (15:00) (Shotgun) 23-C.McCaffrey up the middle to DAL 2 for 8 yards (2-J.Lewis). FUMBLES (2-J.Lewis), RECOVERED by DAL-2-J.Lewis at DAL 2. [WPA -10.3% · EPA -4.58]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q1 45:47) — (:47) 20-T.Pollard left end to DAL 9 for 4 yards (54-F.Warner). FUMBLES (54-F.Warner), touched at DAL 9, RECOVERED by SF-90-K.Givens at DAL 16. 90-K.Givens ran ob at DAL 16 for no gain. The Replay Off [WPA -9.3% · EPA -4.72]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q2 37:51) — (7:51) (Shotgun) 4-D.Prescott pass deep right to 9-K.Turpin for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN [91-A.Armstead]. [WPA +7.0% · EPA +3.62]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q3 24:36) — (9:36) (Shotgun) 13-B.Purdy pass deep middle to 19-D.Samuel to DAL 18 for 42 yards (21-S.Gilmore, 55-L.Vander Esch). [WPA +5.2% · EPA +4.47]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 35:32) — (5:32) (Shotgun) 13-B.Purdy pass short left to 23-C.McCaffrey to DAL 22 for 19 yards (55-L.Vander Esch; 14-M.Bell). [WPA +5.2% · EPA +1.89]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Dallas Cowboys (Q4 12:58) — (12:58) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 4-D.Prescott pass short right intended for 3-B.Cooks INTERCEPTED by 48-O.Burks at SF 36. 48-O.Burks pushed ob at SF 47 for 11 yards (78-T.Steele). [WPA +0.0% · EPA -5.56]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q1 45:47) — (:47) 20-T.Pollard left end to DAL 9 for 4 yards (54-F.Warner). FUMBLES (54-F.Warner), touched at DAL 9, RECOVERED by SF-90-K.Givens at DAL 16. 90-K.Givens ran ob at DAL 16 for no gain. The Replay Off [WPA -9.3% · EPA -4.72]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q4 14:15) — (14:15) (Shotgun) 4-D.Prescott pass short left intended for 13-M.Gallup INTERCEPTED by 54-F.Warner (2-D.Lenoir) [97-N.Bosa] at DAL 38. 54-F.Warner to DAL 26 for 12 yards (13-M.Gallup). [WPA -0.2% · EPA -4.67]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 45:00) — (15:00) (Shotgun) 23-C.McCaffrey up the middle to DAL 2 for 8 yards (2-J.Lewis). FUMBLES (2-J.Lewis), RECOVERED by DAL-2-J.Lewis at DAL 2. [WPA -10.3% · EPA -4.58]

Quarterback report card

B.Purdy led all passers in efficiency for San Francisco 49ers, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• B.Purdy (San Francisco 49ers) · 29 dropbacks · 58.6% completion · +5.8% CPOE · +0.71 EPA/play · +20.71 total EPA
• D.Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) · 27 dropbacks · 51.9% completion · -4.0% CPOE · -0.45 EPA/play · -12.19 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

San Francisco 49ers held the efficiency edge in offensive EPA per play (+0.14 vs -0.35), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• Dallas Cowboys: 13 drives, -21.98 total EPA, 2 scoring drives
• San Francisco 49ers: 13 drives, +12.36 total EPA, 6 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• San Francisco 49ers leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• B. Purdy (San Francisco 49ers) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• B. Purdy (SF) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• D. Prescott (DAL) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q1 56:16 · DAL 19 · Score 0-6
   (11:16) (Shotgun) 13-B.Purdy pass deep right to 85-G.Kittle for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q1 56:10 · DAL 15 · Score 0-7
   4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky. PENALTY on DAL-99-C.Golston, Defensive Offside, 5 yards, enforced between downs.
3. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q2 43:26 · DAL 38 · Score 0-13
   (13:26) (Shotgun) 13-B.Purdy pass deep right to 85-G.Kittle for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN [97-O.Odighizuwa].
4. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q2 43:16 · DAL 15 · Score 0-14
   4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky.
5. Dallas Cowboys TD (+6) — Q2 37:51 · SF 26 · Score 6-14
   (7:51) (Shotgun) 4-D.Prescott pass deep right to 9-K.Turpin for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN [91-A.Armstead].
6. Dallas Cowboys XP (+1) — Q2 37:45 · SF 15 · Score 7-14
   17-B.Aubrey extra point is GOOD, Center-44-T.Sieg, Holder-5-B.Anger.
7. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q2 32:40 · DAL 1 · Score 7-20
   (2:40) 23-C.McCaffrey left guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. PENALTY on SF-65-A.Banks, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced between downs.
8. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q2 32:36 · DAL 15 · Score 7-21
   4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky.
9. Dallas Cowboys FG (+3) — Q3 26:58 · SF 32 · Score 10-21
   (11:58) 17-B.Aubrey 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-T.Sieg, Holder-5-B.Anger.
10. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q3 22:24 · DAL 10 · Score 10-27
    (7:24) 13-B.Purdy pass short left to 85-G.Kittle for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
11. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q3 22:20 · DAL 15 · Score 10-28
    4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky.
12. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q4 14:22 · DAL 1 · Score 10-34
    (14:22) 13-B.Purdy pass short right to 44-K.Juszczyk for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
13. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q4 14:19 · DAL 15 · Score 10-35
    4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky.
14. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q4 14:05 · DAL 26 · Score 10-41
    (14:05) 24-J.Mason left end for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN. DAL-55-L.Vander Esch was injured during the play.
15. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q4 13:59 · DAL 15 · Score 10-42
    4-J.Moody extra point is GOOD, Center-46-T.Pepper, Holder-18-M.Wishnowsky.