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The San Francisco 49ers needed Sunday night’s victory against the Dallas Cowboys to avoid falling further below .500 and falling in the NFC West standings. Despite a push from the Cowboys late in the game, the 49ers managed to hold on to a 30-24 victory.

San Francisco hopes this victory will provide momentum for the second half of the season. The team, at 4-4 heading into the bye week, has yet to post back-to-back wins this season.

“It wasn’t the start (to the season) that we would have liked,” the linebacker said Fred Warner told NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. “We lost a few points earlier than we should have and had a few injuries, but I don’t think that’s an excuse. We have to continue to improve as a group. It’s not about that fluctuation about getting up for a game and then losing one.

“We just have to continue to get better, and that’s what we’re focused on during the bye week, is being healthy, hopefully getting some guys back and just being the best version of us -themselves in the future.”

The 49ers expect two key players: running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver John Jennings…to return to training during the bye week. McCaffrey has been out the entire season with Achilles tendinitis, while Jennings has missed the last two games with a hip injury.

Warner expressed frustration with the defense’s performance late in Sunday’s game, as they allowed the Cowboys to take a 27-10 lead into the fourth quarter.

“Obviously we made a game out of it when we didn’t need to, especially defensively,” Warner told reporters during his post-match press briefing. “Gifts where they didn’t need to earn them. You know, 88 (CeeDee Lamb) is wide open, their best player. I can’t let that happen.

“We put ourselves in that situation, so we had to get out of it. It was about going out there and finishing the game, and we did that.”

Warner attributed many defensive errors to communication issues, which led to several late-game breakdowns this season. Despite these challenges, he remains confident in the team’s potential to progress in the second half of the season.

The 49ers’ next game is scheduled for November 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.