SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The Cowboys have lost their last five preseason games, going back to last season, after a 17-9 loss to the 49ers on Saturday night. Dallas' offense continues to struggle in the preseason, regardless of the offensive coordinator. The Cowboys have failed to score in their last three preseason games. There were some positives: three forced turnovers by the defense, center Travis Frederick's return and the first-team defense. The negatives were many: third-team offensive struggles under quarterback Mike White, a couple drops by wide receiver Jon'Vea Johnson. With that, here are five things that we noticed from the preseason opener:

1. Kellen Moore's offense

The Cowboys playbook doesn't have too many changes. New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore's goal is to spice up the offense with some bunch sets, motion and deep throws. The Cowboys are basically running the same plays they've always run, just in different ways. In the preseason opener you're not going to see much, but Moore did call for more deep throws. Cooper Rush overthrew Reggie Davis on a go route down the sidelines and he also missed Blake Jarwin on another pass. One thing that hasn't changed is the Cowboys' inability to convert in the red zone. The first-team offense stayed on the field for just nine plays and Dak Prescott had a pass batted down on third and 4 from the 49ers' 6. Overall, the Cowboys went 0-4 in the red zone, which isn't much different from Scott Linehan. A positive is the run game. Rookie Tony Pollard, with playing the first team, had 16 yards on four carries and Darius Jackson, who lost the starting gig to Pollard, had 12 yards on four carries. Wide receiver Jon'Vea Johnson was able to get open on quite a few routes but had two drops to go with three catches for 30 yards. Cedric Wilson, whom receivers coach Sanjay Lal said is the most improved on the team, was productive with three catches for 36 yards before leaving with a head injury.

2. Linebacker Luke Gifford injury

Gifford, the undrafted linebacker from Nebraska, was making a case to make the 53-man roster. He picked off a pass with 12:36 to play in the second quarter but later was taken out of the game with a left ankle sprain. The Cowboys might keep seven linebackers and Gifford was getting work with the second-team defense. But now with his injury and depending on the length of time he'll be out, Gifford might be placed on injured reserve returnable.

3. Defense gets turnovers

The Cowboys defense has talked about creating turnovers and they picked up three on Saturday night. Cornerback Anthony Brown recovered a fumble, safety Donovan Wilson had a pick in the third quarter and Gifford's interception accounted for the turnovers. There were numerous pass breakups from the secondary. Chidobe Awuzie had one on a long throw, in addition to a couple of good open field tackles by the secondary.

"We have spent the past two-plus weeks going against our offense, and it felt good to come out here and hit someone else for once -- an opponent," linebacker Jaylon Smith said at halftime. "It helps us gather our culture and identity, and it is a wonderful experience, something that we have to continue to build on. We did some good things, and some bad things, but we will be fine."

4. New starting running back

When training camp started, Ezekiel Elliott was holding out, so Darius Jackson took over with the first-team offense. But as training camp progressed, Jackson got limited reps with the starters and rookie Tony Pollard began to take over. He started Saturday night, finishing with 16 yards on four carries as he touched the ball on four of the first nine snaps of the game. The Cowboys love how quick Pollard hits the hole. Whenever Elliott does return, it's apparent Pollard will be the No. 2 back, at least for right now.

5. The Cowboys might have a kicker problem

Something is wrong with kicker Brett Maher. He went three-for-four Saturday, missing from 35 yards, going wide right in the second quarter. Maher, however, nailed a 31-yarder into the wind to end the first half. Maher is good at long kicks, but his struggles from between 30 yards to 40 yards is concerning for the Cowboys. Maher has struggled in this area in training camp.

"We were obviously disappointed in the third kick (missed field goal)," Jason Garrett said at halftime. "The other ones seemed to be pretty good. So we'll keep evaluating him; we'll keep giving him shots, but he's been a good kicker for us."