Studs & Duds: Prescott, Cowboys safeties top list of disappointments in 42-10 loss

It was supposed to be a tightly-contested clash of NFC superpowers, the most eagerly awaited game of the month-old 2023 season. It ended with the 49ers taking Dallas to the woodshed and sending them home with the worst and most humiliating Cowboys loss of the Mike McCarthy era.

The Cowboys were unequivocally dreadful in nearly every aspect of the 42-10 no-show. Dak Prescott & Co. didn’t move the chains until their fifth possession and had only one drive all night go longer than six plays and 39 yards. The supposedly elite defense, on the other hand, surrendered 25 first downs to the 49ers and let San Francisco hold the ball for over 37 minutes.

Narrowing the list of Cowboys “duds” down to just three names proved to be a Herculean task. Truth be told, there weren’t even three actual “studs” to be found, but for the sake of this weekly exercise, we’ve identified a few Dallas players who weren’t quite as awful as the rest of the imposters wearing blue and silver in Santa Clara on Sunday night.

Here are the studs (insert air quotes and big sarcastic eye roll here) and duds from Week 5’s whipping.

An offer for Cowboys fans

For the best local Austin news, sports, entertainment and culture coverage, subscribe to the Austin American-Statesman.

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Kearse had an uncharacteristically poor performance versus the Niners, despite a stat line that shows four tackles, two TFLs, a sack, and a quarterback hit. The safety committed two silly penalties on the night. His first, an offside call, moved the sticks for the 49ers instead of bringing up fourth down. His second- for taunting- was declined only because of another Dallas infraction; it was indicative of the sloppy and undisciplined play that defined the Cowboys secondary all night.

Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

The speedy Turpin scored the only Cowboys touchdown of the contest and showed why the coaching staff has been so eager to turn him loose in the regular offense in addition to his kick and punt return duties. His 26-yard catch in the second quarter had him looking like Willie Mays as he hauled a Prescott rainbow in over his shoulder for his only catch and the team’s only offensive highlight in an otherwise embarrassing showing. Turpin sustained an ankle injury later in the quarter and would not play in the second half.

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Wilson got the game off on a bad note, grabbing Christian McCaffrey’s face mask and costing Dallas 15 extra yards on the very first snap from scrimmage. His outing didn’t get much better, as he looked out of position several times and seemed to make most of his seven tackles on the night by arriving to the play well after the damage had been done. He was rolled up on with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off the field with the team already down by 32.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Prescott has a new terrible outing against the 49ers to replace the previous two in his memory banks. His 51.6 passer rating in Week 5 ranks as the sixth-worst of his career and his three interceptions were his most in a single game in four years. While the second pick- off a tip- could be attributed to Michael Gallup, his other two came on terrible passes. All three came in the second half with the Cowboys trying desperately to play catch-up, but Prescott’s overall performance was simply unforgivable, given the huge buildup and high stakes surrounding what the quarterback readily admitted was a massive measuring-stick game for the club.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire