The 49ers (1-2) had only 78 yards against Dallas’ starting defense, then Alex Smith threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Vernon Davis against the second-string defense in the third quarter.
Smith left after that drive, having gone 9 of 14 for 93 yards with a touchdown and an interception on an underthrown deep pass to former Dallas receiver Antonio Bryant. Another series fizzled when Smith overthrew Davis twice in a span of three plays, the second one going so far off target that it was obviously a miscommunication.
“We didn’t play well,” 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. “Their first group outplayed our first group. It looked like last year where we’d run around trying hard but things wouldn’t go our way. We’d like to start seeing better results.”
Nolan said his first string didn’t get enough plays, mainly because Dallas ran over San Francisco’s defense.
