Can the 49ers, even in the first half, expect another run in the second half?

Who are the San Francisco 49ers?

“We can be whoever we want,” said Fred Warner late Sunday evening.

Can you? Right now the 49ers are 4-4, the picture of mediocrity. They left last week in a three-way tie for first place in their underwhelming division, half a game out of last place, and arguably the toughest part of their season still lies ahead.

Are they the struggling powerhouse that, based on their history, roster and pedigree, will come back full steam ahead in the second half of the season, get healthier, string together wins, muscle their way into the playoffs and make another Super Bowl run?

Or is it the unpredictable team we've seen so far, one that can't sustain on offense, has a hard time finishing games on defense, hasn't won two games in a row yet this season and is far from there appears to be the Super Bowl favorite it was touted to be before the season?

Based on the first half of the season, we still have no idea. And the 49ers' 30-24 win over Dallas didn't provide many clues about their true personalities. The 49ers defeated the Cowboys for the fourth straight year, a streak that includes two playoff games and is their second-longest winning streak ever against their rival; During the dynasty years, the 49ers won six straight times against Dallas.

The Cowboys' last game was a 47-9 humiliation at home against Detroit two weeks earlier. Both teams were desperate for victory on Sunday night and the first half was a spectacle of dull, sloppy play with both teams vying for the worst performance.

Kyle Shanahan said the message to his team at halftime was “stop giving penalties.” The 49ers had six penalties for 49 yards in the first half, including one that wiped out a Deebo Samuel touchdown.

“No real message,” Shanahan said. “Just stop hurting ourselves.”

Coming out of the locker room after halftime trailing 10-6 and facing the prospect of falling behind to 3-5, the 49ers were finally playing inspired football. They outscored Dallas 21-0 in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on three consecutive drives.

Then, in the fourth quarter, the 49ers reverted to the generous “let's give our opponent a break” group we saw against the Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks. They retreated defensively, letting CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys' only real playmaker, run around deep in the end zone, and suddenly their 17-point lead dwindled to six points.

“I was frustrated. “Obviously we made a game out of it when we didn’t need to,” Warner said. “We gave them freebies. They didn't have to earn it. We can't allow it. We put ourselves in this situation, so we had to get out of it.”

Brock Purdy, under renewed scrutiny after a poor game against Kansas City, struggled in the first half.

“We had some missed opportunities…I was honest with myself and knew I had to get better,” Purdy said. “I went into halftime to talk about our plan for the second half and my mindset was that I need to get back to what matters. Keep things simple, but still play with conviction and be aggressive.”

In the second half, Purdy took control of the offense. He made extensive plays with his feet. He found George Kittle for a 43-yard completion and a 27-yard hookup. When there was no screen pass, he ran straight down the middle for a first down.

“He’s very balanced,” Kittle said.

Confident, but probably tired. The farewell comes at a good time for the quarterback.

“It's a great week for all of us to rest and heal and then be hard on ourselves, with the film and (realize) where we can get better,” Purdy said.

Who are the 49ers? They are not sure themselves because the team they see on paper is not the team they think they should be.

“This isn’t exactly where you want to be,” Shanahan said. “Going into the game we knew it was going to be a big game. We didn't want to go into the bye week at 3-5… That win was huge. A 4:4 result is not at all the record we wanted at the start.

“Hopefully we can take some time off, get some guys back and get some wins.”

The team believes this farewell marks a new beginning.

“After the bye it’s 0-0,” Warner said. “We have everything ahead of us, we can be whatever we want. At this point it's just about getting better.

“We can’t keep getting up for a game and then losing one and then trying to find a way to win another one. Let's just get better. We have to find ways to play four quarters (with) direct execution.”

Last season, the 49ers were 7-2 after the bye. The year before it was 9-0 after the bye. This is their legacy, their collective expectation.

“The second half of the season is everything,” Purdy said. “Every game is important and it is the most important stage. You go back into the history of this place and this is where it matters.

“Low your head and don’t look up until the end.”

Reach Ann Killion: [email protected]; X: @annkillion