49ers Hang On to Beat Commanders 23-17 on Monday Night Football
The San Francisco 49ers needed a late stop to stay unbeaten, holding off a second-half comeback from Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders for a 23-17 win on Monday Night Football at Levi's Stadium.
San Francisco dominated the first half, leading 20-3 at halftime with 303 yards of offense to Washington's 90. Brock Purdy opened the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle on the game's first drive, and Christian McCaffrey added two 1-yard touchdown runs.
Purdy finished 21 of 29 for 264 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Kittle caught five passes for 69 yards and the score, while McCaffrey had nine receptions for 53 yards to go with his 64 rushing yards. Mike Evans caught three passes for 94 yards, including a 54-yard gain in the first quarter, before leaving the game.
The Niners opened the second half with a field goal to go up 23-3, but their offense then stalled, going three-and-out on three fourth-quarter possessions. Daniels took advantage, throwing for 300 yards and two touchdowns on 29-of-40 passing without an interception. He found Stefon Diggs for a touchdown in the third quarter and Rachaad White on a 9-yard score in the fourth, cutting the lead to 23-17. Washington outgained San Francisco 224-72 in the second half, according to the Commanders' site.
With about two minutes left, 49ers safety Malik Mustapha broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Treylon Burks in the end zone. Washington got one more chance, but Romello Height and Keion White combined on a sack of Daniels on the final play to seal the win. Linebacker Fred Warner had eight tackles and reached 1,000 career tackles, while Jaden Dugger led San Francisco with 11 tackles.
Injuries were a storyline for both teams. Evans suffered an Achilles injury late in the second quarter and did not return; NFL.com reported that coach Kyle Shanahan said afterward that Evans was only sore and wouldn't need further testing. Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin was carted off with a knee injury in the first quarter.
The 49ers improved to 6-0, their first 6-0 start since 2019, and earned the franchise's 56th Monday Night Football win, the most in NFL history. They play at Atlanta on Sunday. Washington fell to 1-4-1 and has a bye next.
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