The Cowboys will take on the 49ers for Week 8’s “Sunday Night Football” matchup. Both teams that were expected to be powerhouses in the NFC have dealt with slow starts to the season marred by big injuries.

Dallas is 3-3 and is coming off a 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions — the second blowout loss at home for the team this season. The Cowboys fell, 44-19, to the New Orleans Saints in their home opener.

The Cowboys’ defense has been down DaRon Bland, a big blow to their secondary. The biggest missing piece has been linebacker Micah Parsons. He sets the tone on the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys but has been sidelined with an ankle injury. Parsons wasn’t able to practice this week and has already been ruled out ahead of the game.

San Francisco is no stranger to big injuries. The 49ers are still without star running back Christian McCaffrey who is hopefully going to return to the field in Week 10 after the team’s Week 9 bye. Backup running back Jordan Mason is expected to shake off a nagging shoulder injury and suit up in the game.

The San Francisco wide receiver room has been decimated by injuries. Jauan Jennings had had big games stepping up for a sidelined Deebo Samuel, but Jennings has been ruled out with a hip injury. Samuel didn’t play much last week and was hospitalized dealing with pneumonia, but he is going to play in this matchup. No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk tore his MCL and ACL last week and is done for the season. 

Follow along as Sporting News provides a play-by-play as the Cowboys take on the 49ers on Sunday night.

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Cowboys vs. 49ers updates, highlights from Sunday Night Football

All times ET. 

8:51 p.m. — Mason got evaluated by trainers, declined to go into the tent and will likely come back after the one mandatory he must miss for being seen by trainers.

Coming out of the break, Purdy hits Kittle for a 16-yard gain. The QB then missed Samuel deep left, bringing up second down. 

8:48 p.m. — Mason got the first carry and took it left for six yards. He was tackled and stayed down on the field, needing to be tended to by trainers. It’s unclear right now what he hurt, but we will put updates here as soon as we get them.

8:45 p.m. — Prescott gets hurried in the pocket and tries to loft one down the field to KaVontae Turpin. Ji’Ayir Brown intercepted the pass and the Niners will take over on their own seven-yard line. 

Bosa gets the pressure. Brown gets the pick. @49ers ball!

📺: #DALvsSF on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/krcyeDf5RB

— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2024

8:42 p.m. –Prescott gets his tight end involved and hits Jake Ferguson for a two-yard gain. The quarterback then finds newly elevated Dalvin Cook for a 10-yard gain. Cook then earned a carry on the next play but only picked up one yard. 

Prescott finds his favorite target, Lamb, on the right sideline for a 10-yard gain, just shy of a first down. The booth reviewed the play and determined he got the first down, so the chains were moved.

SCORE: FIELD GOAL — 49ers 3, Cowboys 0

8:38 p.m. — Pearsall had his second catch of the night for six yards. It was third and 10 on the Dallas 36 and Mason ran the ball up the middle for four yards. 

San Francisco kicker Anders Carlson nailed a 50-yard field goal to take the first lead of the night. 

8:36 p.m. — Running back Jordan Mason got his first carry of the night for four yards. Mason picked up five yards on the next play, but it was called back due to holding. 

8:34 p.m. — The 49ers get cute on first down and give the first carry to Deebo Samuel for a yard. Brock Purdy then hits Ricky Pearsall for an eight-yard gain in his NFL debut. After a false start, San Francisco faced third and six. 

Purdy hit Samuel for a 47-yard gain after poor tackling attempts by Dallas’ defense. 

Purdy to Deebo for 47 yards!

📺: #DALvsSF on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/dXiG8o9k7s

— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2024

8:29 p.m. — The head-scratching offensive calls by the Cowboys came early. Zeke didn’t pick up any yards on first down, and Lamb had another five-yard reception. Then, fullback Hunter Luepke lined up in the backfield on third and five, and they handed it off to him. San Francisco’s defense was all over it, and Dallas had to punt. 

8:27 p.m. — First play from scrimmage for the Cowboys is a seven-yard carry by Ezekiel Elliott. A storyline to watch in this game will be how backfield work is split between Zeke and Dalvin Cook.

Cowboys picked up a first down on the next play with a four-yard reception by CeeDee Lamb.

8:25 p.m. — The ball has been kicked and we are off. San Francisco kicked off, and will get the ball at halftime. Dallas starts on offense. 

Pre-game

8:15 p.m. — It is National Tight Ends Day around the NFL and the San Francisco position group celebrated by running out on the field together. Kickoff is next.

All of the tight ends ran out for #NationalTightEndsDay 😂 pic.twitter.com/boY4Ktm6sA

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 28, 2024

8:00 p.m. — Niners showing off their clean uniforms taking the field.

These #94Niners uniforms 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/1rG3XrKW2i

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 27, 2024

7:45 p.m. — Kickoff is about 35 minutes away and the Cowboys are heading out onto the field to continue warm-ups. 

🔜🔜🔜#DALvsSF | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/k5UTED5dbs

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 27, 2024

7:30 p.m. — Defensive captain Fred Warner gave an impassioned speech to his team during the pre-game, which caught the eye of the 49ers’ media. 

Fred Warner just gave the longest and most impassioned pre-pads speech that I’ve ever seen from him to his 49ers teammates pic.twitter.com/tT6dwoxPYI

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 27, 2024

7:15 p.m. — For those wanting to bet on the game, the 49ers are 5.5-point favorites at Caesar’s Sportsbook. San Francisco is installed at -260 on the moneyline, while Dallas is the +210 underdog. The point total is set at 47.5.

6:50 p.m. — Here are the Cowboys’ inactives for the game. As expected, Dowdle is out. Also notable, Dallas only has three healthy corners. 

Cowboys inactives: DE Micah Parsons, QB Trey Lance (3rd QB), CB Caelen Carson, RB Rico Dowdle, CB Andrew Booth, OT Matt Waletzko …

Cowboys going with three corners: Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, Amani Oruwariye. Israel Mukuamu would likely move to corner if needed in-game.

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) October 27, 2024

Here are San Francisco’s inactives. Tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel were both questionable, but both are active for the game. 

Tonight’s @DignityHealth inactives.

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 27, 2024

6:45 p.m. — Dallas will be wearing their iconic white jerseys with grey helmets and grey pants, 

‘Boys in the Bay 🌁#DALvsSF | @Lucas_Oil pic.twitter.com/DAXejyhWOH

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 27, 2024

San Francisco will have their tan helmets paired with red jerseys and white pants. 

Waiting all day for Sunday Night 🏟 pic.twitter.com/ZsZuhXCUys

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 27, 2024

6:30 p.m. — Inactives aren’t due for another 15 or 20 minutes, but Dallas is going to be without Dowdle. He got ill when he arrived to the stadium and will not be able to play.

Rico Dowdle will be inactive tonight, per source.

You’re up, Dalvin Cook and Zeke Elliott. https://t.co/4ZUYvmL6sX

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 27, 2024

6:15 p.m. — The weather report for Levi’s Stadium looks good. It is expected to be 68 degrees at kickoff, with 10 mph winds. It should remain above 60 degrees throughout the game and less than a 10% chance of rain, per AccuWeather. 

6 p.m. — Rico Dowdle arrived to the game feeling sick, per Tom Pelissero. The running back is now considered questionable for the game. Dallas had elevated Dalvin Cook to be the team’s third running back option, but the veteran may have a larger workload than anticipated if Dowdle can’t go. 

Cowboys vs. 49ers start time

• Date: Sunday, October 26
• Start time: 8:20 p.m. ET

Kickoff from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Given the pre-game festivities and national anthem, though, don’t be surprised if the game kicks off a few minutes late. 

What channel is Cowboys vs. 49ers on today?

“Sunday Night Football” will air on NBC as it usually does, and it can be streamed live on Peacock. Fubo offers a free trial, and its lineup includes access to NBC. 

Cowboys schedule 2024

49ers schedule 2024