The San Francisco 49ers kept their perfect start intact on Monday night, holding off the Washington Commanders for a 23-17 win at Levi’s Stadium to move to 6-0. Washington dropped to 1-4-1 after the loss.
What separated this one in the end was the 49ers’ defense. When the Commanders pushed into striking range in the fourth quarter, San Francisco answered with the kind of stops that protected its unbeaten record.
What are you doing @danorlovsky7 😂😂#PMSMNFonESPN2 pic.twitter.com/4AukK1GchM
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 20, 2026
But for plenty of viewers, the broadcast was almost as memorable as the game itself.
“The Pat McAfee Show” turned the Monday night telecast into its own kind of spectacle, and one third-quarter exchange between McAfee and Dan Orlovsky stood out. While the two were kneeling near the end zone, McAfee keyed in on the setup.
“He's (Orlovsky) on two knees. He's on two knees here.
Never seen anybody do this before. Obviously, taking a knee is something you do in football since high school,” said McAfee.
Orlovsky answered with a completely straight-faced comparison.
“You ever go to a Catholic Mass? You sit and stand up, (kneel) down,” replied Orlovsky.
McAfee wasn’t done.
“We're at a football game! And you know what I've been doing in football is take a knee!
Take a knee! Take a knee!
You say, ‘You know what, how about two? Let me serve this game for you,'” added McAfee.
Orlovsky then doubled down with a suggestive motion, though it was clearly not made with that in mind.
The moment immediately lit up fans online.
“Dan O is the best. One of one 😆😂,” said @DaveSnow72.
“Dan O has such an innocent mind 😂. Talking about two knees and doing a motion.
Never mind 😂. He must not realize what people think of, ah never mind.
Forget it,” added @shisto5.
“You get to do ‘MNF alt broadcast, but you don't get chairs.' Hell of a job fighting through the bean counters obstacles #getthemanachair,” wrote @DukeJohnsonPPR.
“Dan is used to running out of the back of the end zone,” joked @MikeHawkNow.
“McAfee funny AF,” commented @theVAUGHSAGE.
That kind of chaos has helped make “The Pat McAfee Show” a major draw. Last year, it averaged 436,000 viewers.
And the business side appears to be following the audience. McAfee and ESPN are discussing a contract extension projected to pay him around $60 million per year.
In Other News...
McLaurin Injury Puts Immediate Pressure On Commanders To Chase Help
Terry McLaurins injury leaves Washington staring at a receiver room that suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did a week ago. The Commanders have built plenty of their offensive identity around McLaurins steadiness and big-play ability, so losing him for the rest of the season changes the conversation for general manager Adam Peters almost immediately.
One name to watch in that search is Brian Thomas Jr., who has reportedly fallen out of favor in Jacksonville. The Jaguars handling of him has only added to the intrigue around a possible trade market, and Washington has to at least be weighing whether to act quickly or ride with what it has while other options emerge. Nothing is done yet, but McLaurins absence has turned receiver help from a nice-to-have into a real roster issue. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Bye Week Puts Adam Peters Under Pressure Early
The bye week arrived with the Commanders sitting at 1-4-1 after six games, a record that has only sharpened the early scrutiny on the people in charge of building this roster. General manager Adam Peters made sweeping changes in the offseason, and the idea was that Washington would look sturdier and more competitive by now. Instead, the teams issues have been easy to spot, especially up front, where the offensive line has remained a source of frustration and a symbol of how far the roster still has to go.
For Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, the break offers a chance to reset, but it also comes with the kind of pressure that can build quickly when expectations and results are this far apart. The Commanders are already facing questions about whether the offseason work was enough, and the next stretch will matter even more because the frustration around the line is no longer just about one rough week or two. It is becoming part of a broader critique of how Washington put this team together, and whether meaningful changes are coming once the bye is over. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Quinn Gets More Time As Commanders Pressure Keeps Building
Dan Quinn has bought himself a little more time in Washington after the Commanders recent game and the bye week, with the organization not rushing to make any immediate changes. The support appears to be there for now, and the sense around the team is that there is no midseason urgency to make a coaching switch despite the noise that has built around his future.
Still, the pressure has not gone away, only been pushed down the road. Quinns standing beyond this season remains unsettled, and everything now points toward the coming stretch as the real test of where this relationship goes next, with results over the final run set to shape the conversation one way or another. [Read more 🡒]