49ers hold off Commanders 23-17 to go 6-0 as Mike Evans exits with Achilles soreness
The San Francisco 49ers led the Washington Commanders 20–3 at half-time on Monday night, then needed two late defensive stops to win 23–17 at Levi's Stadium. San Francisco is 6–0 after its sixth straight win to open the season.
A fast start
Purdy hit George Kittle for an 11-yard touchdown on the opening drive. McCaffrey then scored from a yard out twice, the second with 13 seconds left in the half, according to the NFL gamebook.
On that opening drive, Purdy reached 1,500 career passes. ESPN said that made him the highest-rated passer among qualified quarterbacks in NFL history.
The Evans injury and the comeback
Evans went down after a 16-yard catch, hobbled to the locker room and did not return, ESPN reported.
Kyle Shanahan said afterwards that the injury was the same Achilles soreness Evans had dealt with all week. He did not expect Evans to need more tests or imaging.
That matters because the 49ers are already without Ricky Pearsall, De'Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson, Deebo Samuel Sr. and Christian Kirk. Receivers other than Evans had two catches for 35 yards.
Daniels threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Diggs late in the third quarter and a 9-yard score to White early in the fourth, per the NFL gamebook. He finished 29 of 40 for 300 yards despite four sacks.
Two stops to finish it
San Francisco needed two late stops. First, safety Malik Mustapha broke up a fourth-down pass at the goal line. Romello Height and Keion White then combined on the sack that sealed it.
| Commanders | 49ers | |
|---|---|---|
| Total net yards | 314 | 375 |
| Rushing yards | 53 | 126 |
| Third downs | 3 of 12 | 7 of 14 |
Source: NFL official gamebook.
