5 winners (and 4 losers) from 49ers' nail-biting Monday night win over Commanders

The San Francisco 49ers came a little too close to being 5-1 than they would've liked, hanging on despite a late surge by the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football and ultimately improving to 6-0 with the 23-17 victory at Levi's Stadium.

With additional injury setbacks, particularly losing wide receiver Mike Evans to an Achilles injury, the Niners turned rather stagnant in the second half and watched as quarterback Jayden Daniels tried to stage a notable comeback after trailing 23-3 in the third quarter.

Yet San Francisco made defensive plays when it absolutely had to, and not all games across a 17-game schedule are going to be easy cruising.

Each game ultimately generates winners and losers, though.

Winners and losers from 49ers' Monday Night Football win over Commanders

Winner: QB Brock Purdy

Aside from setting a new (qualifying) all-time NFL record for passer rating during the game, quarterback Brock Purdy managed to hold things together despite losing Evans after two quarters, ultimately finishing with 21-of-29 passing for 264 yards, a touchdown against no interceptions and a 111.9 passer rating. And those numbers could have been better, had it not been for some drops, including one by the usually surehanded Evans.

Tack on 28 yards rushing, and it's not hard to see just how much Purdy can impact a game.

Casual fans will look at the fact Purdy lost one of his best weapons but still see the stat line and final score, pointing at the 49ers hurler as being a top candidate for league MVP.

Intense fans will watch Purdy's cool nature and playmaking ability when it counts most, and that'll help with his MVP candidacy, too.

Loser: DB Ashtyn Davis

For much of the offseason, it appeared as if veteran safety Ashtyn Davis could be a solution to the Niners' dilemma in the secondary.

Now, it's understandable why Davis didn't make the initial 53-man roster.

Entering the game for nickel cornerback Upton Stout, following a shoulder injury, Davis was regularly picked on and subsequently committed a costly penalty late in the fourth quarter than nearly cost San Francisco the game.

Winner: DB Malik Mustapha

If Davis was terrible, safety Malik Mustapha was excellent. Two plays essentially made all the difference: breaking up a would-be touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to wide receiver Treylon Burks while also stopping running back Jeremy McNichols up in the red zone.

It's crazy to think Mustapha was on the bench earlier this season when second-year safety Marques Sigle was healthy.

Perhaps the 49ers need to rethink that when Sigle returns.

Loser: WR Jacob Cowing

The Niners offense going stagnant late had a lot of causes, but wide receiver Jacob Cowing's decision to field a punt at their own 4-yard line late in the game was a bone-headed decision.

Even worse, muffing the punt and subsequently recovering it only put Purdy and the rest of the offense into a bad bind when things were already getting tough.

Cowing seems to be holding onto that job because there aren't any better options, meaning San Francisco might have to consider making a trade for a return specialist to upgrade this overlooked area.

It might not be the flashy kind of trade playoff-caliber teams make, but if Cowing costs the 49ers a game, it'd be one they would ultimately regret not making.

Winner: LB Jaden Dugger

Being without linebacker Dre Greenlaw because of his suspension should've seriously hurt the Niners defense, but rookie backer Jaden Dugger saw to it this wouldn't be the case.

Dugger finished with a team-high 11 tackles and flashed his ranginess while regularly being around the ball.

Considering Greenlaw's injury history, and the fact he's back on only a one-year deal, it's not out of reason to suspect Dugger winds up being the former's long-term replacement in a year's time.

Loser: K Eddy Pineiro

Had the Commanders scored a late touchdown and tacked on the extra point to take a would-be 24-23 lead, fans would be pointing major fingers at kicker Eddy Pinero's missed extra point earlier in the game as a major blunder.

Unfortunately for Pineiro, misses have become something of a theme this year: three missed field goals and now three missed extra points.

The "honeymoon" phase Pineiro enjoyed last season, which resulted in his four-year extension during the offseason, seems to have ended. And if one (or more) of those future pending misses ends up costing a game or two, San Francisco will start having unpleasant nightmares about Jake Moody 2.0.

No one wants that.

Winner: DE Mykel Williams

It's understandable why second-year defensive end Mykel Williams appeared a bit rusty in his first game back from last year's ACL tear in Week 5. Getting his proverbial football legs back underneath him is likely going to take some time.

But, yeah. He looked explosive on Monday night, particularly when he notched his first sack of the season, taking Daniels down for a loss of 12 yards.

"It's been on my mind for the last 10, 11 months," Williams later told reporters of the sack.

The 2025 first-round draftee certainly has to feel good about tallying that, and his presence should only improve as he gets more acclimated.

Loser: HC Kyle Shanahan

It's hard to tab head coach Kyle Shanahan as a loser, given his team escaped with a primetime win despite plenty of adversity to improve to 6-0.

Yet one can't help but recognize how Shanahan's play calling got confusing in the second half, particularly with the 49ers out to a sizable lead. And it was odd to have Purdy attempt passes in such situations when running backs Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black were averaging 4 yards per carry, or better.

But the biggest reason Shanahan loses is because of the Evans injury.

The receiver's departure clearly revealed the Niners' reliance upon him, offensively, and both Purdy and Shanahan struggled to adjust once Evans was in the locker room.

Shanahan will need to get creative (or get some players back from injury) to avoid a repeat of the second half.

Winner: DT Gracen Halton

If San Francisco opts not to trade for a defensive lineman by the deadline, it'll likely be because of the confidence it feels with rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton.

Halton was a force on Monday night, aiding the 49ers in allowing just 3.1 yards per rush while also recording a sack on Daniels. Sure, that might have been the rookie's only tackle, but his impact went far beyond the stat sheet.

The Niners are getting plenty of positive results from their rookie class this year, but Halton might still be the most impactful of the bunch thus far.

Monday night was more proof.

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