SANTA CLARA — The 49ers maintained their unbeaten streak following Monday Night Football.
They surged ahead by 20 points right at the beginning of the second half and managed to secure a 23-17 victory, despite the Commanders rallying back with 14 unanswered points after the break.
Here’s a rundown of the 49ers’ unexpectedly close victory over Washington, which now stands at 1-4-1:
Quarterback: A
Brock Purdy has officially set the record as the highest-rated passer in NFL history.
He achieved this milestone with his fifth attempt of the evening—throwing a screen pass to Christian McCaffrey marking his 1,500th career throw. On his subsequent throw, Purdy made a pinpoint pass to George Kittle in the end zone corner. The opening touchdown set a strong tone for him, as he remained precise throughout the night, perhaps as sharp as he’s been all season.
Purdy completed 21 out of 29 passes for a total of 264 yards and one touchdown. Interestingly, he also outrushed the Commanders’ dual-threat quarterback, racking up 28 yards on five scrambles.
Running backs: A-
With several key receivers sidelined, the 49ers leaned heavily on Christian McCaffrey.
He did have one fumble but otherwise played a crucial role offensively, stepping up in ways not seen in previous games this season. After leading the NFL with 413 touches last year, he hadn’t been involved more than 19 times in any game this season prior to this one.
McCaffrey was responsible for two of the three first-half touchdowns, gaining 82 yards on 16 touches before halftime—more than he achieved in three other games this season.
San Francisco ended the game with 29 rushing attempts for 126 yards, including 16 carries for 64 yards by McCaffrey against a defense that had previously limited opponents to an average of 3.9 yards per carry.
While McCaffrey was the backbone for the offense, he did incur a penalty with a fumble that ended up costing the team points. Linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson managed to dislodge the ball from McCaffrey in the red zone, marking his first fumble of the season.
Wide receivers/tight ends: C+
Mike Evans aggravated an existing Achilles injury that caused him to miss practice earlier in the week, and he limped to the locker room just before halftime, raising questions about his participation in the game. Still, his contributions of 94 yards on three catches in the first half were greatly needed.
The 49ers’ passing attack faltered without Evans in the second half.
McCaffrey had a season-high nine receptions but only totaled 53 yards. Kittle chipped in with five catches for 69 yards, while Purdy only connected with other receivers for a single pass.
Offensive line: B+
Trent Williams bulldozed one defender and Dominic Puni cleared another, creating a path for McCaffrey to score his first touchdown without being touched.
Overall, the offensive line performed well against a Commanders team known for its high blitz frequency. They mostly kept Purdy protected, at least until Evans went down.
Defensive line: A+
San Francisco allowed two sacks, both occurring in the second half after Evans exited the game.
For the second consecutive game, the absence of Nick Bosa went unnoticed.
Osa Odighizuwa, Mykel Williams, and Gracen Halton each contributed by sacking quarterback Jayden Daniels, who surprisingly lost more yards (21) from these three sacks than he gained during his four rushing attempts (10).
Romello Height prompted an intentional grounding call that consumed 10 seconds, leaving the Commanders with one last chance from midfield, which resulted in a fourth sack by Keion White.
In total, the Commanders’ ground attack only managed 53 yards on 17 carries, averaging 3.1 yards per attempt, an impressive performance against a team ranked seventh in rushing efficiency (4.7 YPC).
Linebackers: B
In a critical moment late in the fourth quarter, Fred Warner came through when the 49ers needed it most.
With the Commanders threatening to come back from a 23-3 deficit, Warner made a key stop on Rachaad White. However, a penalty on safety Malik Mustapha soon extended the drive.
Mustapha later redeemed himself by providing solid defense on Daniels’ fourth-down pass to Treylon Burks, allowing the 49ers to regain possession with just under two minutes left.
Defensive backs: C
The 49ers faced an unfortunate challenge early on when Daniels’ primary target, Terry McLaurin, was carted off due to a likely serious knee injury.
Nevertheless, the defensive backs struggled to keep pace with Washington’s receivers. Stefon Diggs repeatedly caused issues, and Upton Stout allowed him to convert a fourth-and-5, resulting in a touchdown that capped off a drive.
A defense that previously allowed the fewest explosive plays in the league faced unexpected gains of 27, 29, and 30 yards due to coverage breakdowns. Though Daniels didn’t exploit them on the ground, he managed to complete 29 of 40 passes for 300 yards, achieving the highest passer rating of any quarterback against the 49ers this season (110.7).
Special teams: D
The 49ers seem to have a kicking problem.
Clearly, they have issues with extra points.
McCaffrey’s red zone fumble cost them at least six points, and they missed another point when Eddy Pineiro’s PAT attempt went wide right.
This miss represented Pineiro’s third of the season and his seventh in 58 attempts since joining the 49ers last season. He did manage a successful kick from 33 yards, improving his record to 34-of-38 when three points are on the line – a stark contrast to his one-point attempts.
Pineiro’s position seems more secure than Jacob Cowing’s, who fumbled a punt return for the second consecutive week. Though the 49ers regained possession this time, Cowing’s blunder left them pinned near their own goal line, allowing the Commanders to capitalize with a short field.
