49ers Hold On to Beat Commanders 23-17 and Stay Unbeaten at 6-0
San Francisco led 20-3 at halftime and survived a Washington rally that ended with a sack on the final play.
San Francisco kept its perfect start intact on Monday night, holding off Washington 23-17 at Levi's Stadium after building a 20-3 lead by halftime and then watching its offense stall as the Commanders came all the way back to the goal line.
A first half that looked like a rout
The 49ers scored on their first two possessions, according to the Associated Press. Brock Purdy found George Kittle for an 11-yard touchdown, and Christian McCaffrey ran in from a yard out. McCaffrey added a second rushing touchdown late in the second quarter to make it 20-3. San Francisco outgained Washington 303 yards to 90 in the first half, per AP and NFL.com, and a 65-yard drive that ended in a field goal on the first possession of the third quarter made it 23-3.
The second half went the other way
After that, San Francisco's offense went quiet. NFL.com reports the 49ers went three-and-out on three fourth-quarter possessions, and AP says they managed only three first downs and 72 yards after halftime. Jayden Daniels threw two touchdown passes in the second half to cut the deficit to 23-17.
The 49ers did lose Mike Evans late in the second quarter with Achilles tendinitis. NFL.com notes that Evans still finished with a team-high 94 receiving yards, and AP says coach Kyle Shanahan does not expect additional testing and does not believe the injury is long term.
The ending
Washington had one last chance in the final minutes. AP reports that Malik Mustapha broke up a fourth-down pass for Treylon Burks near the goal line with 1:54 left. The Commanders got the ball back at their own 46 with 52 seconds remaining and reached the 28, where Daniels was flagged for intentional grounding, pushing the ball back to the 40 for one final play. Keion White and Ogbo Okoronkwo sacked Daniels to end it, per AP; NFL.com credits Romello Height with a team-high five pressures, including the one that forced the grounding call.
What it means
Purdy finished 21 of 29 for 264 yards and a touchdown, per AP. The performance pushed him past the 1,500-attempt threshold, which per AP made him the highest-rated passer in NFL history at a 105.6 career rating, ahead of Lamar Jackson's 102.7. Kittle caught five passes for 69 yards, and NFL.com notes McCaffrey extended his touchdown streak to five games.
The 49ers are 6-0, their best start since 2019, according to AP. NFL.com says they lead the Seahawks by three games in the NFC West and the Cardinals and Rams by four, and hold head-to-head tiebreakers over all three.
Washington fell to 1-4-1. AP reports receiver Terry McLaurin was carted off in the first quarter with a left knee injury that coach Dan Quinn said the team fears is significant, and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw also left with a knee injury. The Commanders now have a bye before hosting Philadelphia on November 1; San Francisco visits Atlanta on Sunday.