49ers Remain Unbeaten with Monday Night Win over Washington

Week 6 - Taking centerstage for Monday Night Football would be the unbeaten (5-0) San Francisco 49ers and the (1-3-1) Washington Commanders in a battle between two teams who have gotten off to very different starts in the early going of the NFL season. While the 49ers entered their Monday Night bout coming off a gutsy road win over the defending Super Bowl champs, the Commanders are fresh off the first tie of the 2026-27 season after failing to get a snap off in overtime against the rival Giants that would've setup a potential game-winning field goal. Unfortunately for them, those same struggles would rear their ugly head once more against San Francisco. With 55 wins on Monday Night Football, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most all-time, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would have a chance to separate themselves and claim the top spot with another win while also eyeing to improve on their 4-1 record all-time against Washington on Monday Night.

As San Francisco began the game with possession of the ball, MVP front-runner Brock Purdy got things clicking immediately by hitting his receiver Mike Evans down the middle for a big 24-yard gain on 3rd & 4 to extend their opening-drive. Several plays later, Purdy would cap things off with an 11-yard pass into the end zone to a wide-open George Kittle for the early touchdown. After Washington answered with a field goal, Purdy and company picked up right where they left off as the Niners QB connected with Evans yet again for another big gain, this time with a 54-yard reception on the first play of their second possession. Entering the match-up, San Francisco's offense had scored TDs on a league-best 87.5% of red zone drives, whereas Washington's defense had allowed TDs on a league-worst 83.3% of red zone drives. Those stats would prove to be true as the Niners punched in their second touchdown in as many possessions with a 1-yard touchdown from running back Christian McCaffrey, giving his team a 13-3 lead following a missed extra-point by kicker Eddy Pineiro. 

With Washington looking to keep things close, quarterback Jayden Daniels did find success when utilizing the deep ball as he connected with his receiving corps on plays of 27 and 29 yards early on. Despite reaching the red zone to start the second quarter, Washington's situational awareness or lack thereof would be on full display for the second straight week when the Commanders elected to go for it on 4th and 2 from San Francisco's 13 yard line and Daniels threw the ball away deep into the end zone without attempting to give any of his teammates a chance at making a play. Not doing himself any favors was head coach Dan Quinn who was seen on the sideline asking his staff what down it was and if they should setup for a field goal after the incomplete pass. Instead, it would be a turnover on downs which San Francisco would be more than happy with. Luckily for Washington, they would get the ball several plays later after forcing a turnover of their own. With the 49ers putting together another nice drive on offense, McCaffrey took a 12-yard gain inside the Washington 20 where he was met from behind with a peanut punch that resulted in a fumble recovery for the Commanders. 

The rare McCaffrey mistake would end a streak of over 500 touches without a fumble but would also light a fire under McCaffrey who would get redemption on San Francisco's following possession. After forcing a three and out punt by Washington, the 49ers extended their lead just before the end of the half with McCaffrey leading the way with a rushing touchdown from a yard out, his second of the evening. Capping off a 20-play drive that spanned over 89-yards, San Francisco jumped out to a 20-3 halftime lead. Unfortunately, both teams would take the field in the second half without their respective leading receivers as both Mike Evans and Terry McLaurin had to leave the game in the first half with injuries. While Evans who was already playing with two broken ribs, hit the locker room early with what team doctors described as a sore Achilles tendon, McLaurin had to be carted off the field after suffering a more serious injury to the patella tendon in his left knee. Team doctors would later confirm the worst as McLaurin suffered a season-ending tear. But as the saying goes -- the show must go on. 

In what would ultimately be a tale of two halves, things began in a similar fashion before the tables eventually turned. After forcing a Washington punt to open the second half, the 49ers tacked on a field goal that was setup by a 35-yard reception from tight-end George Kittle. With San Francisco now leading 23-3, the Commanders finally began to play inspiring football. With their most successful drive yet, Washington finally found the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to Steffon Diggs. Following a three and out punt by San Francisco, the Commanders would march yet again with a touchdown-scoring drive that would cut the deficit to six with 9:22 remaining in regulation. Aided by numerous penalties by San Francisco's defense that extended the drive and gave new life to the Commanders, you could just feel the momentum shift even while watching from home. Needing to answer with a score of their own or at the very least a long drive, the Niners offense suddenly went cold and was unable to muster anything with each of their three fourth quarter possessions ending with three and out punts while netting a total of 7 yards, clearly missing the on-field presence of Mike Evans.

However, while the offense began to sputter into a full blown tailspin, tallying only 67 yards of offense in the second half including 65 on their first possession, San Francisco's defense stepped up and answered the call when they were needed most. Another nice drive by Washington began to take form as the Commanders reached the red zone. But it would be there where Niners safety Malik Mustapha made a pair of bruising hits that laid bare to Washington's hopes of pulling off a comeback. After forcing the turnover on downs, all San Francisco needed to do was convert a game-sealing first down. Instead, their offensive woes would continue as they appeared to be lost without their star receiver and were forced to punt with a minute to go. With no timeouts remaining, Washington would attempt a last-ditch effort near midfield. After converting a first down that put them at the San Francisco 28 yard line, Daniels made a pivotal mistake when he was pressured and called for an intentional grounding penalty. One play later, Daniels would be taken down by the tandem of Keion White and rookie Romello Height for the game-sealing sack as time expired. 

Escaping with the 23-17 victory, San Francisco improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2019 and just the second time under head coach Kyle Shanahan. Hoping history will repeat itself, the past three 6-0 starts have led to an NFC Championship appearance for the 49ers. With 264 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Brock Purdy finished with a QB rating of 111.9, becoming the NFL's all-time leader in passer rating at 105.6 for his career, besting Lamar Jackson's previous mark of 102.7. Purdy also became one of only two quarterbacks to ever start a season 6-0 with 15+ total touchdowns and 2 or fewer turnovers with Tom Brady in 2015 being the other. Purdy's counterpart Jayden Daniels also finished with an impressive performance, especially considering his team's slow start and the fact that his leading receiver would be lost before halftime. Daniels threw for an even 300 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss. One area San Francisco did excel in against Daniels was in the sacks department as defensive coordinator Raheem Morris' unit totaled four sacks on the night, bringing their season total to 15 sacks. In comparison, San Francisco forced only 7 sacks at this point a season ago. 

Week 7 Preview: Hitting the road to face the (2-4) Atlanta Falcons, emotions will be especially high for one Raheem Morris as the current 49ers defensive coordinator will face his former team for the first time since being fired as head coach back in January after spending the last two seasons at the helm in Atlanta. Meanwhile, current Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will look to play spoiler and hand both Morris and the 49ers their first loss of the season. With San Francisco's Bye week on the horizon in Week 8 and receiver Mike Evans expected to miss some time while dealing with Achilles tendinitis, Brock Purdy and the 49er offense will need contributions elsewhere as Deebo Samuel is also working to get back from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined in Week 6. The team is hopeful they will see receiver Christian Kirk for the first time this season after signing the 8-year veteran to a one-year contract during the offseason. With plenty of question marks surrounding the 49ers' receiving corps heading into Atlanta, we might be slated for another tilt where the defense is asked to step up and deliver another win, although they will also have their hands full with All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson. If not, this game could have trap game written all over it as San Francisco will take the field at 10am for the first time this season while seeking their first regular season win at Atlanta since 2001. 

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Niners outduel Seahawks in Wild Win over Seattle

Week 5 - No love would be lost between two hated NFC West foes as the (4-0) San Francisco 49ers and (3-1) Seattle Seahawks added the latest chapter to their heated rivalry with a thriller that came down to the wire. Going into their week 5 match-up with the reigning champion Seahawks, the one knock on the Niners among critics in and around the league was that they had yet to face a true road challenge despite claiming a dominant win on the other side of the globe in Australia against a heavy Super Bowl favorite Rams team. Despite the naysayers, they would take that challenge head on in this one with revenge on their mind after being trounced by Seattle back in January by a final score of 41-6. That loss would end San Francisco's season and propel the Seahawks into the NFC Championship where they would go on to advance to the Super Bowl. 

With zero touchdowns scored in their last two meetings against Seattle's vaunted defense, Brock Purdy and company refused to make it a threepeat by scoring the game's first touchdown early on thanks to the first of many big plays by the San Francisco defense. After a three and out punt by the 49er offense on the game's opening possession, San Francisco's Renardo Green intercepted Sam Darnold to set his team up inside the red zone. After a big third down conversion to receiver Mike Evans, quarterback Brock Purdy would award Evans one play later with a 2-yard strike for a touchdown. Playing with two broken ribs suffered in week 3, Evans would make his stamp on the game all afternoon long with big plays. Forcing a three and out punt on Seattle's ensuing possession, the 49ers had their opponent right where they wanted them until a major gaffe by return man Jacob Cowing who failed to signal for a fair-catch and was blown up on the play, resulting in a fumble recovery by Seattle. And as expected, the Seahawks would take advantage of the mistake with a game-tying touchdown several plays later. 

As Seattle took a 10-7 lead to open the second quarter, the 49er defense forced a turnover of their own and pounced on Emanuel Wilson's fumble created by Fred Warner. Christian McCaffrey would cash in on the takeaway one play later with an 11-yard rushing touchdown. With San Francisco leading the game 14-13 following another Jason Myers field goal, it appeared both teams would be heading into the half with a 1-point game. However, Seattle had other plans and instead of milking the clock, they ran a play with 18-seconds remaining and paid the price as rookie defensive-lineman Gracen Halton who had himself a game, stripped backup running back George Holani of the ball and recovered the fumble inside the end zone for a touchdown. The play would spell disaster for Seattle and spring San Francisco ahead with an 8-point lead at halftime. With another half of football to go, there would be plenty of fireworks in the first half alone, including a scuffle that broke out along the Seattle sideline following a late-hit penalty called on 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw who pushed Darnold out of bounds. Greenlaw would be surrounded by a number of Seahawks including linebacker Ernest Jones IV who got in the face of Greenlaw and baited him into throwing a headbutt which Greenlaw would be ejected for. 

With another half of football to be played and already so much having taken place, the 49ers would open the second half the same way they did the first -- with Renardo Green intercepting Sam Darnold for the second time on the afternoon. In an attempt to add to their lead, the 49ers would suffer a missed field goal as Eddy Pineiro failed to connect on his 52-yard attempt. Seattle would inch closer with a successful field goal on the other end and would eventually take the lead as Brock Purdy threw a rare interception, only his second of the season. The 49ers would pay for their mistake several plays later as Darnold hit Jaxson Smith-Njigba who made a dash for the go-ahead 16-yard touchdown, despite having suffered an ankle injury earlier. San Francisco's string of unfortunate events would continue just two plays into their ensuing drive when Deebo Samuel took a hand-off and went down with a non-contact injury, fumbling the ball in the process. Seattle would again benefit from the costly turnover with a field goal to add to their lead, 26-21. 

Trailing by five entering the fourth quarter, it was there where Kyle Shanahan's offense would orchestrate the longest drive of the game for either team, marching 95-yards on 18-plays and eating up seven minutes off the clock. Capping off the long methodical drive, Brock Purdy hit his newest target in receiver Brandin Cooks for the 7-yard touchdown to jump back ahead. Electing to go for two, Purdy connected in the end zone with Mike Evans who hauled in the successful two-point conversion to give his team a 29-26 lead. Seattle would eventually tie the game one possession later with Jason Myers remaining perfect with his fifth field goal on the day. Having dealt with some ups and downs in the early part of the season, Niners kicker Eddy Pineiro would answer the call near the two-minute warning, drilling a go-ahead 44-yard field goal to put his team back on top in the final minutes. Forcing Seattle to make a last-ditch effort and pull off a comeback, the Seahawks got a big gain on first down on a 35-yard pass from Darnold to JSN, setting them up at midfield. But after three consecutive incompletions, the Seattle offense stared down a 4th and 10 call that would literally come down to inches as receiver Cooper Kupp shook off a tackle and made a diving attempt to convert the first down before being pushed out of bounds and marked just shy of the marker. The play would go to review but the call would stand as San Francisco held on for the 32-29 win in dramatic fashion. 

49ers QB Brock Purdy who had been kept on his feet thru the first four weeks without taking a single sack, was brought down three times on Sunday, but came thru in the end when his team needed him most, throwing for 189 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in the win. What would become known as the Mike Evans show, the banged-up receiver hauled in a game-high 7 receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, San Francisco's defense answered the call with 5 sacks on the afternoon, a bounce back performance from their quiet 0 sack performance against Denver the week prior. Sam Darnold threw for 195 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions for Seattle, with JSN being the only Seahawks receiver to tally more than 25 yards receiving, totaling 102 and a touchdown. After a combined 26-points scored in their three games played against Seattle a season ago, San Francisco was able to explode for 32-points Sunday despite being without several of their top players on the defensive-line and in the receiving department. The game would prove to be a gritty bout that was far from pretty for either team as a combined seven turnovers were committed. 

The 49ers improved to 5-0 on the season and have now claimed wins in the NFC Western Division over all three teams, an exceptional start for a team that is still banged up when looking at their depth-chart. San Francisco became just the second team in NFL history to start a season 5-0 with three wins coming against teams that had 12 or more wins the previous year (Rams, Broncos, Seahawks). 

Week 6 Preview: The (5-0) 49ers will return home in Week 6, playing host to the (1-3-1) Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. Coming off a rare tie against the New York Giants after a complete debacle in overtime where Washington failed to get the snap off in an attempt to setup a potential game-winning field goal, the Commanders may be playing for head coach Dan Quinn's job on Monday. Though they've already experienced a rollercoaster season up to this point that featured a gruesome elbow injury suffered by franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels in Week 2 and an upset win over Seattle in Week 3 with their backup quarterback, the Commander are not to be taken lightly. Meanwhile, the 49ers will be taking the field without both Deebo Samuel who is expected to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury and Dre Greenlaw who is serving a one game suspension without pay for his actions in the scuffle with Seattle's bench. San Francisco will attempt to keep their unbeaten streak alive and continue to mount a lead in the NFC Western Division standings after Seattle, Los Angeles and Arizona all walked away from Week 5 with losses added to their respective records. 

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Niners Buck Broncos with Strong Second Half

Week 4 - For the San Francisco 49ers who entered Sunday as one of only four remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL at 3-0, including a dominant season-opening win over the division rival and Super Bowl favorite -- Los Angeles Rams, perhaps their biggest test yet would come on Sunday at home against the visiting (2-1) Denver Broncos. Falling one win shy of making it to the Super Bowl a season ago, head coach Sean Payton and company would enter Levi's Stadium with back-to-back come-from-behind wins under their belt after falling flat in their season-opener against the rival Kansas City Chiefs. Notoriously known for being a second half team under third year starting quarterback Bo Nix who has recorded 20 total comeback victories -- the most ever for a quarterback in his first three seasons since 1970, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would need to register a full four quarters of solid football in order to stave off another heroic effort from the Broncos QB. 

On the other side, Nix's counterpart Brock Purdy would enter Sunday's meeting fresh off being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. With 13-offensive touchdowns scored in the first half by the 49er offense this season entering their bout with the Broncos, tied for the league-lead in that department, Sunday's game would have a much different feel to it as it was the defense from both sides that stole the show. After Denver opened the game with a three-and-out punt, the 49ers converted a pair of first downs before having to punt themselves. Having trailed in a game for a total of less than five minutes this season, the 49ers found themselves in rare territory after Denver took a 3-0 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter. It would also be the first points allowed in the first quarter by the 49er defense this season. With nothing doing on their next two possessions, including a turnover on downs on a failed 4th and 1 attempt, the 49ers eventually tied the game with a field goal of their own and even had a chance to take a 6-3 lead at the half, but kicker Eddy Pineiro's second field goal try was blocked, leaving both team's to head into the locker room all tied up at 3-3. 

Opening the second half with the football, the 49ers nearly fumbled away the second half kickoff when receiver Deebo Samuel was back to return and had the ball knocked out and up into the air before his teammate Brayden Willis came up with the football to avoid further disaster. The Broncos, however, would not be so lucky on the other end on special-teams. Following a trio of three more punts to open the second half, the 49ers pounced on an opportunity that would lead to the first touchdown of the afternoon from either team. Special-teamster Siran Neal made arguably the biggest play of the game when he forced and recovered a fumble for San Francisco from Broncos punt returner Marvin Mims Jr. Ironically, Neal was on the opposite end of a special-teams blunder just a week earlier when an Arizona Cardinals punt bounced off of him, resulting in an easy recovery and eventual touchdown for his opponent. And just like in that game, the other team would cash in on the costly error. 

Taking over with stellar field position, the 49ers slowly worked their way up the rest of the field before a touchdown pass on 3rd and 1 was hauled in by Deebo Samuel to give the home team their first lead of the afternoon. After only two scores in the entire first half, Samuel's touchdown would kickstart a combined streak of five consecutive scoring-drives. With the Broncos cutting into the 7-point deficit with another field goal to make it 10-6, the 49ers added another touchdown, but it would come at a cost as Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk would be injured on the drive after taking a hit to the knee following a 16-yard reception. San Francisco would finish the drive with a 1-yard touchdown from running back Christian McCaffrey who in his 10th NFL season would face the Broncos for the first time in his career, the team his father Ed helped win a pair of Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998. With the 49ers now leading 17-6 with less than 10-minutes remaining, Denver would need a touchdown of their own to keep pace. Thanks to their best drive of the day on offense, the Broncos would do just that as Bo Nix found receiver Jaylen Waddle who recorded his first touchdown on the season and first in a Broncos uniform, cutting the deficit to just a field goal. 

But just when the 49ers needed a clutch touchdown of their own to help seal the win, tight-end George Kittle answered the call with a short screen pass that he would take to the house for a 56-yard touchdown, making it a two-score game again. The Broncos would attempt to claw closer with a 58-yard field goal try from kicker Wil Lutz, but his kick would sail wide right, allowing the 49ers to kneel the ball and kill the clock, sealing the 24-14 victory. After becoming just the 4th team in the Super Bowl era to start 3-0 with 0 sacks allowed, the 49ers continued that streak on Sunday by going another game with Purdy staying on his feet. Despite it being the quietest of Purdy's four games played this season, throwing for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns, Sunday marked the team's first win this season where the defense was ultimately what helped them to victory. Brock Purdy also became just the second QB in NFL history to record 10+ TD passes and 0 sacks taken through the first 4 games of a season since his childhood idol Dan Marino in 1984. Elsewhere, McCaffrey led all rushers with 52-yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts, while receiver Mike Evans led the way in receiving with 76 yards on 5 receptions despite being a game-time decision and playing with a rib injury. 

On the defensive side of things, linebacker Dre Greenlaw who played for the Broncos last season, registered a team-high 12 tackles on the day and had an extra pep in his step while facing his former team. Greenlaw would later be fined by the league nearly $12,000 for taunting the Broncos sideline and having some choice words for his former head coach Sean Payton after bad blood boiled over towards the end of his Broncos tenure and spilled out onto the field when both teams merged near midfield following the final whistle. Improving to 4-0 for the third time under head coach Kyle Shanahan, 49ers players and fans alike are hoping for a similar result as the last two instances (2019, 2023) which resulted in a trip to the Super Bowl. Coach Shanahan would reach a milestone on Sunday with what was his 167th game coached with the 49ers, the most in franchise history, surpassing Hall of Famer Bill Walsh. 

Week 5 Preview: The 49ers will hit the road in Week 5 where they will face off against the (3-1) Seattle Seahawks with a chance to secure another win within the division and sweep thru their first of two runs against the NFC West. Currently trailing San Francisco by 1 game in the division standings, Seattle's only blemish thus far was a Week 3 loss on the road against backup quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Washington Commanders. Coach Mike Macdonald's Seahawks got back on track in Week 4 with a win at home over the struggling (0-4) Los Angles Chargers, 30-23. The 49ers will look to flush their last visit to Seattle's Lumen Field where they were blown out in the NFC's Divisional round of the playoffs back in January by a final score of 41-6. Instead, they will look to duplicate the success they had in Seattle to open the season a year ago when they escaped with a 17-13 win thanks to one Nick Bosa. Unfortunately, Bosa will not be around to help them this time around. 

The 49ers offensive-line that has yet to allow a sack on QB Brock Purdy so far this year thru four weeks, they will try to keep their guy on his feet once more on Sunday against a defense that got to him six times last year over three meetings. With a win on Sunday, San Francisco will add to their division lead and can claim their most impressive win yet. 

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