The San Francisco 49ers are still perfect. San Francisco (6-0) survived a furious second-half rally to beat the Washington Commanders (1-4-1) by 23-17 on Monday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium, staying unbeaten through Week 6 and opening a three-game lead over the Seahawks in the NFC West.
San Francisco 49ers vs Washington Commanders (Credits: ESPN)
Purdy Shines Early, Then Survives the Scare
The night started with history. Brock Purdy became the NFL’s all-time leader in passer rating (105.6) on San Francisco’s opening drive, finding Mike Evans for 24 yards before threading a perfect pass over a leaping defender to George Kittle for the game’s first touchdown. Purdy finished 21-of-29 for 264 yards and a touchdown, earning a 111.9 passer rating.
Christian McCaffrey punched in two rushing touchdowns (64 yards on 16 carries) and Kittle added five catches for 69 yards and a score as the 49ers raced to a 20-3 halftime lead. San Francisco piled up nearly 150 yards of total offense in the first seven minutes, and Washington looked completely lost.
The Injuries That Changed the Night
The win came at a cost for both teams. Evans aggravated his Achilles soreness late in the first half and was ruled out for the rest of the game after three catches for 94 yards — he had led all receivers up to that point. On the other side, Commanders star Terry McLaurin left in the first quarter with a knee injury, forcing Jayden Daniels to lean on nine different receivers.
Daniels still put together a gutsy line — 29-of-40 for 300 yards and two touchdowns — and the Commanders defense flipped a switch after the break, giving up just three points in the second half.
Mustapha Saves the Game Late
Washington threatened to steal it in the final two minutes, driving deep into 49ers territory twice. That’s when safety Malik Mustapha took over — first stopping Jeremy McNichols on a crucial third-down run, then breaking up a would-be touchdown to Treylon Burks on the very next play, jarring the ball loose as Burks hit the ground.
The Commanders got one last shot, reaching the San Francisco 28, but a grounding call on Daniels and a game-sealing sack by Keion White and rookie Romello Height as time expired closed out the win. It was one of four sacks on the night for the 49ers.
Next up, the unbeaten 49ers take their perfect record to Atlanta to face the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Also Read: Mike Evans Exits Monday Night Football Early With Achilles Injury | Terry McLaurin Carted Off With Knee Injury vs. 49ers
Source: ESPN — read the full story there.
