The 49ers left Monday night with a 23-17 win over the Commanders, a 6-0 record, and a little bit of everything else that tends to come with a tight prime-time finish. They built a 20-3 halftime cushion, then watched Washington chip away while San Francisco’s offense stalled hard in the second half, producing just three points over the final 30 minutes and three straight three-and-outs to close it out.
Even with the late wobble, there was plenty to sort through from the game. The run game kept moving in the right direction, the offensive line continued to make its case, and the wide receiver picture got a little clearer with the injuries piling up.
One of the biggest reasons the 49ers stayed ahead early was the ground game finally looking like a real force. A lot of the attention naturally goes to Brock Purdy, especially after the efficiency he showed when Mike Evans was available in the first half, but San Francisco’s rushing attack has been trending upward over the last two weeks. In Week 6, the 49ers posted the NFL’s highest EPA per rush by a wide margin, and their rushing success rate hit 66.7 percent, which was easily the best mark in the league by more than 16 percent.
Christian McCaffrey carried a heavy load with the passing game dealing with injuries, finishing with 25 total touches - 16 rushes and nine targets - for 117 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. The 4.0 yards per carry number doesn’t jump off the page, but the efficiency on the ground was there. And it came against a defense that entered Monday ranked No. 8 in EPA allowed per rush.
That followed a Week 5 outing in which McCaffrey ran for 68 yards on 11 carries against Seattle’s elite defense. Two straight solid games on the ground is a meaningful development for a team dealing with wide receiver issues.
The offensive line deserves its share of credit in all of that. Purdy has been in the MVP conversation for good reason, and he kept playing at a high level Monday, but the front five has done its part too.
San Francisco was excellent in pass protection early in the season, with Purdy not getting sacked through the first four weeks. He’s taken five over the last two games, though the two sacks Monday weren’t really on the line.
The run blocking has started to come together as well, and the continuity in that group is showing up. Trent Williams is still playing at a high level.
Dominick Puni has been strong this season outside of a rough Week 6. The line as a whole is settling in, and that cohesion matters.
Defensively, the 49ers had to survive a big day from Jayden Daniels. He threw for 300 yards, completed more than 72 percent of his passes and made life difficult on San Francisco’s cornerbacks. Still, the 49ers found a way to keep Washington to three points at halftime and 17 total, even without Nick Bosa.
Raheem Morris’s pressure plan had a lot to do with that. The 49ers pressured Daniels on 21 of his 47 dropbacks and finished with five sacks.
That came against a quarterback who was getting the ball out quickly and making plays when healthy. Young linemen kept popping up in the action, too, with Keion White, Romello Height, Gracen Halton, Sebastian Valdez, and Mykel Williams all making plays.
Osa Odighizuwa added five pressures and a sack as well.
The numbers also showed an interesting shift in how San Francisco handled game script. In “non-garbage time” situations, Purdy posted a 14 percent pass rate over expected, with the team throwing 69.6 percent of the time versus an expected 55.5 percent.
That stood out because the run game had been so efficient. On the season, the 49ers have been just 3.5 percent over expected in that category, so Week 6 represented a noticeable spike.
In those spots, they threw on 62.5 percent of first downs, going 5-for-8.
And then there’s the receiver room, which is still very much in motion. Mike Evans missed the second half because of Achilles tendonitis, and that only adds to the uncertainty there. San Francisco did score three touchdowns on five first-half drives, but the late offensive fade showed how thin things can get when the injuries hit.
For now, the 49ers seem likely to keep working with what they have rather than chase a trade. Evans is expected to push through the tendonitis for the rest of the season and should be back after the bye.
Christian Kirk is also expected back soon, while Deebo Samuel and Demarcus Robinson could be other return options after the bye. De’Zhaun Stribling is on a longer timeline, with a possible return around Week 12.
This week also offered a little clarity on the depth chart. Jordan Watkins got the start, while Jacob Cowing’s role continued to shrink, including a poor return decision.
Watkins played 47 snaps, while Cooks played 32 snaps. Cowing could still have a role again in Week 8 with the room so banged up, but he may be the one on the outside once the injured receivers come back.
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The situation only became more notable when Robert Saleh addressed it, calling it a lapse in judgment while still voicing support for Elliott. Saleh also nudged other teams to take a hard look at him, which leaves the attention less on the dismissal itself and more on whether another locker room is willing to give him a second chance after such a messy episode. [Read more 🡒]