For two quarters, it appeared as if the San Francisco 49ers were going to throttle the visiting Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football.
For the other two quarters, it seemed as if Washington was going to spoil those plans and hand the Niners their first loss of the season.
Thankfully (appreciate you, Keion White and Romello Height), quarterback Jayden Daniels was sacked on the Commanders' last attempt to stage an upset at Levi's Stadium, and San Francisco held on to a 23-17 victory.
A perfect 6-0 start is great for the 49ers, yes. Despite even more injuries, head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad pulled off a win despite facing serious adversity late.
That's what championship-caliber teams do.
Still, there are some major takeaways and observations, some of which likely linger for a while (or need to be addressed in short order).
6 instant reactions to 49ers' MNF victory over Commanders
No. 1: 49ers must figure out their WR depth sans Mike Evans
The momentum shift away from the Niners was palpable when wide receiver Mike Evans exited with an Achilles injury after two quarters of play—an injury that dogged him entering the game. And while subsequent reports of him only missing a week or two are relieving, the fact is San Francisco can sorely lose more wideouts after already being without so many from their original depth chart.
With Deebo Samuel, Christian Kirk, De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson all sidelined with injuries, too, the 49ers have to figure out how to either funnel their offense through other options or pull off a needed trade to address the issue.
No. 2: Eddy Pineiro's misses are worrisome
It's understandable how fans fell in love with kicker Eddy Pineiro a year ago after the Jake Moody nightmares, but this season has been far from a dream.
Sure, Pineiro missed a mere extra point in Monday night's contest. But, had the Commanders scored a late-game touchdown and tacked on an extra point, it'd be conclusive to say Pineiro's lone miss cost the Niners a victory.
Pineiro already missed two extra points and three field-goal tries entering Week 6. That's a concern.
No. 3: 49ers were sloppy with the penalties
Entering Week 6, San Francisco was best in the league with just 25 penalties against for 243 yards.
Against Washington, that figure ballooned to 11 flags for 88 yards—one of them erased a would-be late fourth-quarter stop that should've effectively ended things.
Simply put, the 49ers played sloppy in this department. One can only hope the sheer increase in penalties was a one-game anomaly and not a sign of things to come.
No. 4: Brock Purdy is still playing at an MVP level
Quarterback Brock Purdy's detractors are going to have an even tougher time critcizing him after he qualified for a new NFL record for passer rating:
The all-time leader in passer rating.
— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2026
BROCK PURDY 👑 pic.twitter.com/Opat2NZk0Y
Despite the Niners offense struggling a bit in the second half, Purdy nevertheless helped keep things together throughout, even after Evans went down.
All the quarterback did was post a cool 21-of-29 mark for 264 yards, a touchdown, no interceptions and a 111.9 passer rating.
Those MVP chants should get louder.
No. 5: 49ers secondary was sloppy
While losing Evans deflated San Francisco's offense, losing cornerback Upton Stout to a shoulder injury certainly impacted the secondary, particularly when Daniels started picking upon Stout's in-game replacement, Ashtyn Davis.
Three of Washington's receivers went over the 50-yard mark, and Daniels completing 300 yards passing pointed at the 49ers defense having a few more holes than originally thought.
If there is some saving grace, it came in the form of safety Malik Mustapha, who leads us to the final point.
No. 6: Young 49ers defenders made plays when they were needed
Stout's late pass breakup and red-zone stop of running back Jeremy McNichols were clutch, and several of the Niners' other younger defenders made their respective presences felt throughout the game.
Rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton was a wrecking ball and recorded a sack, as did second-year defensive end Mykel Williams, which must have felt great in his second game back after tearing his ACL a year ago.
White and Height combining for a game-sealing sack in the final seconds was absolutey clutch, too.
Despite San Francisco's defensive shortcomings in the contest, at least it's refreshing to see the younger talent provide the needed impact.
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