The San Francisco 49ers beat the Washington Commanders 23-17 at Levi’s Stadium on Monday, 19 October 2026, to improve to 6-0, while the Commanders fell to 1-4-1. The 49ers led 20-3 at half-time and 23-3 in the third quarter, with Christian McCaffrey scoring on two one-yard runs and Brock Purdy throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle in the first quarter. Washington scored two late touchdowns, a one-yard catch by Stefon Diggs with 15 seconds left in the third quarter and a nine-yard catch by Rachaad White in the fourth, but they could not close the gap further. The attendance was 71,561, and San Francisco were the favourites by 7.5 points.
The argument that the 49ers deserved the win rests on their first half and on their balance. Eddy Pineiro added a 33-yard field goal in the third quarter, and the 49ers gained 375 total yards against Washington’s 314, at 6.2 yards per play against 5.1. McCaffrey carried the ball 16 times for 64 yards and two touchdowns and caught nine passes for 53 yards, Mike Evans caught three passes for 94 yards, with a long of 54, and Kittle had five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. Purdy completed 21 of 29 passes for 264 yards, with a quarterback rating of 111.9, and the 49ers converted seven of 14 third downs against Washington’s three of 12. They also sacked Jayden Daniels four times for 39 yards, while Purdy was sacked twice for 15.
The counter-argument is that Washington’s second-half comeback made the game much closer than the first half suggested. Daniels completed 29 of 40 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns, with a rating of 110.4, and the Commanders outscored San Francisco 14-3 after the interval. Chig Okonkwo had seven catches for 69 yards, Treylon Burks four for 66, and Antonio Williams three for 50, while Diggs scored on a short catch. Drew Stevens kicked a 51-yard field goal, and Tress Way punted three times for an average of 52 yards. The 49ers also had the ball taken away once when McCaffrey lost a fumble, and Eddy Pineiro missed an extra point after the first McCaffrey touchdown, which meant that the lead was six and not seven for a time. Washington had 19 first downs to San Francisco’s 20, with 261 net passing yards against 249.
The result matters because San Francisco are the only team in the league with a perfect record on this evidence of the Delima reporting, as the game coverage described them as undefeated, and a six-game winning start gives them a strong position in the conference. For Washington, a record of 1-4-1 after six games leaves them near the bottom of the standings, although the performance of Daniels and the second-half scoring showed that the offence can score. The game also continued the pattern in which a team with a large lead at half-time can still be threatened by a quarterback who throws for 300 yards, and the 49ers won by six points, which was short of the 7.5-point spread they were favoured by.
San Francisco stayed unbeaten by building a 20-3 half-time lead and defending it in the second half. Washington’s comeback fell short, and the 49ers will go into the next game at 6-0.