nypost
SANTA CLARA — The San Francisco 49ers remained undefeated after escaping Monday Night Football with a 23-17 victory over the Washington Commanders, who fell to 1-4-1. The 49ers extended their lead to 20 points on their first possession of the second half, but then held on as the Commanders scored 14 unanswered points after halftime.
Quarterback: A
Brock Purdy is now officially the highest-rated passer in NFL history. He set the record with his fifth pass of the night, a screen to Christian McCaffrey on his 1,500th career attempt, and on his next throw, Purdy placed the ball where only George Kittle could catch it in the corner of the end zone. The opening touchdown set the tone for the rest of Purdy's night, as he was precise and on-point throughout. Purdy completed 21 of 29 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown. He also outgained the Commanders' dual-threat quarterback on the ground, rushing for 28 yards on five scrambles.
Running Backs: A-
With many of their top receivers missing, the 49ers leaned heavily on Christian McCaffrey. He fumbled once but otherwise carried the offensive load in a way he hadn't in the first five games of the season. After leading the NFL with 413 touches last season, McCaffrey had not been involved more than 19 times in a game this year. He was responsible for two of the 49ers' three first-half touchdowns and had 82 yards on 16 touches before halftime, more than he had in three of their five previous contests. San Francisco finished with 29 carries for 126 yards on the ground — 16 for 64 from McCaffrey — against a rush defense that had limited opponents to 3.9 yards per carry entering the game. Although he was the 49ers' offensive engine, McCaffrey gets a demerit for a rare fumble that cost the team points. Linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson punched the ball out of McCaffrey's arms on the edge of the red zone, leading to his first fumble of the season. McCaffrey has never lost more than one fumble in any of his nine previous seasons.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: C+
Mike Evans aggravated a sore Achilles that caused him to miss practice this week and limped to the locker room shortly before halftime, raising questions about the 49ers' decision to play him in the first place. However, they desperately needed his 94 yards on three first-half catches. The 49ers' passing game mostly collapsed without Evans in the second half. McCaffrey hauled in a season-high nine passes, but for only 53 yards. Kittle added five catches for 69 yards. But Purdy didn't complete more than one pass to any other target.
Offensive Line: B+
Trent Williams pancaked one defender and Dominic Puni plowed another to open a hole for McCaffrey to cross the goal line untouched for his first touchdown. The 49ers' line held up well, all things considered. The Commanders entered the game with the second-highest blitz rate in the league and didn't hold back from sending extra rushers, but the 49ers mostly kept Purdy upright — at least as long as he had someone to throw to.
Defensive Line: A+
San Francisco yielded two sacks, both in the second half after Evans left the game. For the second straight game, the 49ers played without Nick Bosa and it was hardly noticeable. Osa Odighizuwa, Mykel Williams and Gracen Halton all recorded sacks of Jayden Daniels, who lost more yards (21) on the 49ers' three sacks than he gained on four rush attempts (10). Romello Height forced an intentional grounding that resulted in a 10-second runoff, leaving the Commanders with one final play from around midfield, and that one ended with Keion White on top of Daniels for their fourth sack of the evening. Altogether, the Commanders mustered just 53 yards on 17 carries, an average of 3.1 per attempt, after entering with the NFL's seventh-most efficient ground game (4.7 YPC).
Linebackers: B
When the 49ers needed a stop most, Fred Warner stepped up. With the Commanders driving down the field late in the fourth quarter, threatening to come all the way back from a 23-3 deficit, Warner wrapped up Rachaad White for an open-field tackle that should have gotten the 49ers off the field. Instead, a penalty on safety Malik Mustapha on the next play extended the Commanders' drive. Mustapha would earn ultimate redemption a few plays later, providing the pass defense on Daniels' fourth-down heave to Treylon Burks that gave the 49ers the ball back with 1:54 to go.
Defensive Backs: C
The 49ers caught an unfortunate break early when Daniels' top target, Terry McLaurin, had to be carted to the locker room with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. Still, their defensive backs had a hard time keeping up with Washington's receivers. Stefon Diggs was a frequent problem, and Upton Stout let him get free to convert a fourth-and-5 on Washington's second drive of the second half, which ended in a touchdown. A defense that has allowed the fewest explosive plays in the NFL was torched for gains of 27, 29 and 30 yards after coverages broke down. Daniels didn't beat them with his feet, but he proved to be the toughest test yet for the 49ers' secondary, completing 29 of 40 passes for 300 yards and posting the highest passer rating of any quarterback to face the 49ers this season (110.7).
Special Teams: D
The 49ers might have a kicking problem. They definitely have an extra-point issue. McCaffrey's fumble inside the red zone left at least six points on the board, and the 49ers cost themselves another point when Eddy Pineiro's point-after attempt sailed wide right. The missed PAT was Pineiro's third this season and his seventh in 58 attempts since the 49ers signed him in Week 2 of last season. He was good from 33 yards to improve to 34-of-38 in his San Francisco career when three points are on the line, opposed to one. Pineiro's job status should still be more secure than Jacob Cowing's, who muffed a punt return for the second week in a row. Although the 49ers recovered this one, Cowing's butterfingers backed them up on their 7-yard line, leading to the Commanders taking over on a short field.
Originally reported by nypost.