49ers sneak past Commanders to remain undefeated

Levi’s Stadium was pumping from the outset on Monday night as the 49ers faithful hoped to see San Francisco maintain their undefeated start to 2026 and improve to 6-0. They took on the Washington Commanders, who were bolstered last week by the promising return of their franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels, hoping to cause an upset on the road and stay in the hunt in the NFC East.

Brock Purdy’s tremendous start to 2026 had been well-documented and put him right at the forefront of early MVP talks, and he wasted no time continuing his form on the opening drive of the night. He threw for 51 yards, linking up with the 49ers’ timeless veterans in Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans and George Kittle, with the latter finishing off the possession with an 11-yard touchdown catch.

Daniels and the Commanders offense looked to be up for the fight themselves when Terry McLaurin made a 27-yard grab on their first play, but a 3rd down drop from Stefon Diggs meant they had to settle for a field goal, already facing an uphill battle in a hostile environment.

Washington’s struggles defending the passing game have been exposed by quarterbacks all season, and Purdy did just that when he connected with Evans for a 54-yard gain on a catch-and-run. Just like that, San Francisco were back in the red zone, and a few plays later, McCaffrey punched in another score from the goal line as the lead began to look insurmountable before the first quarter was even complete.

The visitors looked to be finally generating some offensive momentum when a 29-yard pass to Chig Okonkwo helped them enter the red zone for the first time on the night, but a failed 4th down conversion on short yardage meant they had nothing to show for it and turned it over on downs.

The Commanders’ defense was able to come up with a rare stop and takeaway when K’Lavon Chaisson punched the ball out of McCaffrey’s hands, to be recovered by Frankie Luvu. But their offense, which lost Terry McLaurin to a serious knee injury, continued to be suffocated and found it impossible to string positive plays together.

Just before halftime, the 49ers romped down the field once again, and capped off a stellar first half with a second to McCaffrey, who shook off his first lost fumble in over 500 days, taking a 20-3 lead into the break as they looked poised to cruise to yet another victory.

It was more of the same to begin the third quarter. A promising Washington drive was halted by penalties and sacks, leaving them empty-handed once more, while more explosiveness through the air led to Eddy Pineiro’s first field goal of the night for San Francisco, extending the advantage to a whopping 20 points.

Down McLaurin and with the game slipping away, the Commanders finally found some life to compile a touchdown drive and keep the game alive. Daniels initially found Diggs for a 13-yard gain on 4th down to keep the drive going, before linking up with him once again in the end zone to take some momentum into the final quarter.

After forcing a much-needed 3-and-out, Washington’s best drive of the night ensued as they continued to bank positive plays. A big gain on a pass to Antonio Williams got them into the red zone, before Rachaad White scored a touchdown to reduce the deficit to just 6 points, striking some fear into the home fans for the first time all night.

The teams must have had their roles reversed at the end of the third, when the 49ers failed to pick up a first down again and the Commanders were given a genuine lead-taking opportunity. They continued riding the positive offensive trend, but a costly facemask pushed the drive back and ultimately saw them come away with nothing to show for it.

They would get one final opportunity after the defense stood tall once again, but on the final play of the game, Daniels was taken down by a pair of 49ers, as San Francisco survived a late scare to leave with a 23-17 win on Monday Night Football.

Whilst Washington’s late-game efforts are to be admired, questions will also be raised as to why it took them trailing by such a big margin to get the best out of themselves, now falling to 1-4-1 and with their season at a crossroads.

Touchdowns
Washington: Diggs, White
San Francisco: McCaffrey 2, Kittle

Top Performers
Washington: Daniels, Luvu, Styles, Okonkwo
San Francisco: McCaffrey, Purdy, Kittle, Williams

Injuries
Washington: McLaurin (knee)
San Francisco: Evans (achilles)

Crowd: TBC @ Levi’s Stadium