SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Entering Sunday's matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers had won 72 consecutive games when leading by 17-plus points entering the fourth quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out to open the fourth quarter Sunday night, it appeared the Niners would extend that streak to 73 with relative ease.
While they eventually did, the fact they had to squeak out a 30-24 win rather than surging to a convincing victory raised some alarm bells for a team that has coughed up double-digit fourth-quarter leads twice already this season.