49ers-Cowboys final score: Dallas implodes, San Francisco handles business

Fooch's note: You might have stumbled across this looking for the 49ers-Cowboys 2015 preseason recap. Here you go.

The San Francisco 49ers took care of business Sunday afternoon, easily defeating the Dallas Cowboys by a final score of 28-17. The game was not nearly as close as the score would indicate. The Cowboys handed the 49ers a 28-3 lead in the first half. I would prefer to see the defense put its foot down a bit more, but

The early part of this game was as much about the Cowboys shooting themselves in the foot as anything else. Turnovers and the expected poor defense cost the Cowboys early, as they fell behind the 49ers 28-3 midway through the second quarter. And yet, while the Cowboys handed the 49ers plenty, San Francisco also took advantage of those opportunities. On their first two offensive drives, Colin Kaepernick and the passing game looked sharp. On defense, the much maligned secondary had a strong game, even with multiple injuries.

The 49ers offense looked solid enough early. The passing game dominated the first two drives, and later in the game, it was about the run game. Frank Gore surpassed 10,000 career rushing yards in the third quarter, and Carlos Hyde was strong with 50 yards on only seven carries. All that being said, we'll see what the offense looks like in more competitive situations. That's not to take away from their performance, but the Cowboys were baaaaad. We'll see how the Bears defense looks next week.

One of the big storylines of the first half was the injuries to the cornerbacks. Tramaine Brock left with a toe injury, and Chris Culliver left with a concussion. Perrish Cox came on when Brock went out, and rookie Dontae Johnson came on when Culliver went down. Both looked solid, with Cox getting an interception, and Johnson breaking up several passes. Johnson in particular was a bit of a revelation in his coverage of Terrance Williams. He played his guys tight and seemed to have great awareness.

Tramaine Brock returned to the game late, but Jimmie Ward left in that situation. Ward had his helmet off, and Matt Barrows reported he looked a little woozy. We'll see what the next few days bring in that regard. The injuries will be a concern for now while the 49ers get ready for Week 2 against the Chicago Bears. The first practice report does not come out until Wednesday, so we'll see if Jim Harbaugh says much of anything after today's game, or in his Monday press conference. I'm not holding my breath for much news.

Speaking of the passing games, another big story was the excessive amount of illegal contact penalties. There were some legitimate calls, but many of the passing penalties seemed incredibly ticky-tack. Even Troy Aikman and FOX officiating expert Mike Pereira were surprised by some of the calls. Given the history of those two, I think that says something. It will be interesting to see if there are any adjustments next week.