San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys: 2008 Week 12 Recap

Game story

In Week 12 of the 2008 NFL season on 2008-11-23, the Dallas Cowboys took care of business against the San Francisco 49ers, pulling away with a 35–22 final that built a comfortable lead.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 22 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

T. Romo (Dallas Cowboys) paced the passing game, with +10.19 total EPA, and +4.0% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, T. Owens (Dallas Cowboys) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +19.21 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+23.6% win probability) landed in the second quarter when Dallas Cowboys changed the game: (14:06) (Shotgun) 9-T.Romo pass deep right to 81-T.Owens for 75 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on SF-22-N.Clements, Illegal Contact, declined.

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 T. Owens · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +19.21 total EPA · 7 snaps · +2.74 EPA/play
2. 2 I. Bruce · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +11.90 total EPA · 9 snaps · +1.32 EPA/play
3. 3 T. Romo · Dallas Cowboys · Passing · +10.19 total EPA · 41 snaps · +0.25 EPA/play
4. 4 S. Hill · San Francisco 49ers · Passing · +6.89 total EPA · 39 snaps · +0.18 EPA/play
5. 5 B. Johnson · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +5.08 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.27 EPA/play
6. 6 V. Davis · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +3.66 total EPA · 1 snaps · +3.66 EPA/play
7. 7 P. Crayton · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +3.31 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.66 EPA/play
8. 8 Roy E.Williams · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +3.30 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.10 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

• Dallas Cowboys — T. Owens (T. Romo pass) (Q2 44:06)
• Dallas Cowboys — M. Bennett (T. Romo pass) (Q2 30:57)
• Dallas Cowboys — P. Crayton (T. Romo pass) (Q3 27:10)
• San Francisco 49ers — I. Bruce (S. Hill pass) (Q4 8:27)
• San Francisco 49ers — D. Foster (S. Hill pass) (Q4 3:54)

Field goals

• San Francisco 49ers — J. Nedney (Q1 47:42)
• San Francisco 49ers — J. Nedney (Q1 45:03)
• Dallas Cowboys — N. Folk (Q2 37:28)
• Dallas Cowboys — N. Folk (Q2 33:06)
• San Francisco 49ers — J. Nedney (Q3 23:27)
• Dallas Cowboys — N. Folk (Q4 14:53)
• Dallas Cowboys — N. Folk (Q4 5:11)

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 6–0. San Francisco 49ers connected on a field goal from the DAL 5 (Q1 47:42) — (2:42) (Field Goal formation) 6-J.Nedney 23 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.; San Francisco 49ers connected on a field goal from the DAL 4 (Q1 45:03) — (:03) (Field Goal formation) 6-J.Nedney 22 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee..

The second quarter: Dallas Cowboys won the period 22–0. Dallas Cowboys found the end zone from the SF 75 (Q2 44:06) — (14:06) (Shotgun) 9-T.Romo pass deep right to 81-T.Owens for 75 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on SF-22-N.Clements, Illegal Contact, declined.; Dallas Cowboys added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q2 43:54) — 6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.; Dallas Cowboys registered a safety from the DAL 95 (Q2 42:08) — (12:08) (Punt formation) 4-A.Lee punt is BLOCKED by 52-C.Polk, Center-86-B.Jennings, ball out of bounds in End Zone, SAFETY.; Dallas Cowboys connected on a field goal from the SF 30 (Q2 37:28) — (7:28) (Field Goal formation) 6-N.Folk 48 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.; Dallas Cowboys connected on a field goal from the SF 23 (Q2 33:06) — (3:06) (Field Goal formation) 6-N.Folk 41 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.; Dallas Cowboys found the end zone from the SF 1 (Q2 30:57) — (:57) 9-T.Romo pass short left to 80-M.Bennett for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. Touchdown throw came off play action.; Dallas Cowboys added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q2 30:52) — 6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson..

The third quarter: Dallas Cowboys won the period 7–3. Dallas Cowboys found the end zone from the SF 10 (Q3 27:10) — (12:10) (Shotgun) 9-T.Romo pass short middle to 84-P.Crayton for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN [94-J.Smith].; Dallas Cowboys added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q3 27:04) — 6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.; San Francisco 49ers connected on a field goal from the DAL 18 (Q3 23:27) — (8:27) (Field Goal formation) 6-J.Nedney 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee..

The fourth quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 13–6. Dallas Cowboys connected on a field goal from the SF 29 (Q4 14:53) — (14:53) (Field Goal formation) 6-N.Folk 47 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the DAL 18 (Q4 8:27) — (8:27) 13-S.Hill pass deep middle to 88-I.Bruce for 18 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the DAL 2 (Q4 8:20) — 6-J.Nedney extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.; Dallas Cowboys connected on a field goal from the SF 24 (Q4 5:11) — (5:11) (Field Goal formation) 6-N.Folk 42 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the DAL 9 (Q4 3:54) — (3:54) (Shotgun) 13-S.Hill pass short right to 29-D.Foster for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN..

Turning points

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

• Dallas Cowboys (Q2 44:06) — (14:06) (Shotgun) 9-T.Romo pass deep right to 81-T.Owens for 75 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on SF-22-N.Clements, Illegal Contact, declined. [WPA +23.6% · EPA +7.18]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q1 57:52) — (12:52) 13-S.Hill pass deep left to 88-I.Bruce to DAL 38 for 17 yards (26-K.Hamlin). [WPA +12.9% · EPA +3.07]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q1 55:53) — (10:53) (Field Goal formation) 6-J.Nedney 53 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Left, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee. [WPA -8.5% · EPA -3.39]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 32:56) — (2:56) 13-S.Hill Aborted. 66-E.Heitmann FUMBLES at SF 19, RECOVERED by DAL-55-Z.Thomas at SF 19. [WPA -8.3% · EPA -4.50]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q2 35:04) — (5:04) 9-T.Romo pass deep right to 81-T.Owens ran ob at SF 30 for 45 yards. [WPA +7.4% · EPA +3.14]

Impact plays

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

• Dallas Cowboys (Q2 44:06) — (14:06) (Shotgun) 9-T.Romo pass deep right to 81-T.Owens for 75 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on SF-22-N.Clements, Illegal Contact, declined. [WPA +23.6% · EPA +7.18]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q3 21:06) — (6:06) 9-T.Romo pass incomplete short left to 23-T.Choice. Screen pass. San Francisco challenged the backward pass ruling, and the play was REVERSED. 9-T.Romo FUMBLES (Aborted) at DAL 18, RECOVERED by [WPA -4.1% · EPA -5.68]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q3 21:01) — (6:01) 13-S.Hill pass deep left intended for 82-B.Johnson INTERCEPTED by 42-A.Henry at DAL -8. Touchback. [WPA -4.3% · EPA -5.36]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q3 29:07) — (14:07) (Shotgun) 9-T.Romo pass deep right to 81-T.Owens pushed ob at SF 22 for 52 yards (26-M.Roman). Pass complete on a fly pattern. [WPA +3.4% · EPA +4.57]

Quarterback report card

T.Romo led all passers in efficiency for Dallas Cowboys, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• T.Romo (Dallas Cowboys) · 41 dropbacks · 56.1% completion · +4.0% CPOE · +0.25 EPA/play · +10.19 total EPA
• S.Hill (San Francisco 49ers) · 39 dropbacks · 53.8% completion · +12.6% CPOE · +0.18 EPA/play · +6.89 total EPA

Team stats comparison

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

By the numbers

Dallas Cowboys held the efficiency edge in offensive EPA per play (+0.09 vs -0.02), even if the scoreboard told a different story.

• Dallas Cowboys: 13 drives, +9.01 total EPA, 6 scoring drives
• San Francisco 49ers: 13 drives, -1.16 total EPA, 6 scoring drives

Key takeaways

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

• Dallas Cowboys leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• T. Owens (Dallas Cowboys) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• T. Romo (DAL) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• S. Hill (SF) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

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

1. San Francisco 49ers FG (+3) — Q1 47:42 · DAL 5 · Score 3-0
   (2:42) (Field Goal formation) 6-J.Nedney 23 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
2. San Francisco 49ers FG (+3) — Q1 45:03 · DAL 4 · Score 6-0
   (:03) (Field Goal formation) 6-J.Nedney 22 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
3. Dallas Cowboys TD (+6) — Q2 44:06 · SF 75 · Score 6-6
   (14:06) (Shotgun) 9-T.Romo pass deep right to 81-T.Owens for 75 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on SF-22-N.Clements, Illegal Contact, declined.
4. Dallas Cowboys XP (+1) — Q2 43:54 · SF 2 · Score 6-7
   6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.
5. Dallas Cowboys Safety (+2) — Q2 42:08 · DAL 95 · Score 6-9
   (12:08) (Punt formation) 4-A.Lee punt is BLOCKED by 52-C.Polk, Center-86-B.Jennings, ball out of bounds in End Zone, SAFETY.
6. Dallas Cowboys FG (+3) — Q2 37:28 · SF 30 · Score 6-12
   (7:28) (Field Goal formation) 6-N.Folk 48 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.
7. Dallas Cowboys FG (+3) — Q2 33:06 · SF 23 · Score 6-15
   (3:06) (Field Goal formation) 6-N.Folk 41 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.
8. Dallas Cowboys TD (+6) — Q2 30:57 · SF 1 · Score 6-21
   (:57) 9-T.Romo pass short left to 80-M.Bennett for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. Touchdown throw came off play action.
9. Dallas Cowboys XP (+1) — Q2 30:52 · SF 2 · Score 6-22
   6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.
10. Dallas Cowboys TD (+6) — Q3 27:10 · SF 10 · Score 6-28
    (12:10) (Shotgun) 9-T.Romo pass short middle to 84-P.Crayton for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN [94-J.Smith].
11. Dallas Cowboys XP (+1) — Q3 27:04 · SF 2 · Score 6-29
    6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.
12. San Francisco 49ers FG (+3) — Q3 23:27 · DAL 18 · Score 9-29
    (8:27) (Field Goal formation) 6-J.Nedney 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
13. Dallas Cowboys FG (+3) — Q4 14:53 · SF 29 · Score 9-32
    (14:53) (Field Goal formation) 6-N.Folk 47 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.
14. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q4 8:27 · DAL 18 · Score 15-32
    (8:27) 13-S.Hill pass deep middle to 88-I.Bruce for 18 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
15. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q4 8:20 · DAL 2 · Score 16-32
    6-J.Nedney extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
16. Dallas Cowboys FG (+3) — Q4 5:11 · SF 24 · Score 16-35
    (5:11) (Field Goal formation) 6-N.Folk 42 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-14-B.Johnson.
17. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q4 3:54 · DAL 9 · Score 22-35
    (3:54) (Shotgun) 13-S.Hill pass short right to 29-D.Foster for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.