1. The better-coached team triumphed. Kyle Shanahan and Co. cooked up a tremendous opening offensive script, covering 75 yards in seven plays for the game's first score, and a resounding punch in the Cowboys' mouth. San Francisco pushed its lead to 13-0 before Dallas woke up, and followed a key takeaway in the third quarter with a well-timed run to Deebo Samuel, whose cut upfield made the difference and led him to a runaway score. Niners defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans called an excellent game, confusing Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense throughout the game, so much that he finished with just 23 completions on 43 attempts and posted a passer rating of 69.3. There were some questionable decisions late in the game (more on that later), but with the bar set rather low by Mike McCarthy's staff, Shanahan outperformed him significantly, even after nine accepted penalties against his team. The 49ers at least looked prepared, and played slightly cleaner football. That was the difference.
