The San Francisco 49ers remain perfect, now the NFL’s only 6-0 team. The Washington Commanders? Just about anything but, but you can't call them quitters.
The Niners, who led 23-3 late in the third quarter, survived the Commanders 23-17 on Monday, Oct. 19, their prime-time meeting initially resembling the mismatch it was expected to be prior to Washington’s valiant comeback.
San Francisco QB Brock Purdy continued to perform at an MVP-caliber level, while the 49ers defense kept Washington at bay for most of the night – before Purdy's Commanders counterpart Jayden Daniels served a fresh reminder of the dynamic dual threat he can be, especially when he’s mentally attuned to the game.
Yet it’s also possible that the biggest ramifications of this game
are yet to come – and that could mean even more winners and losers are yet to emerge:
WINNERS
Jayden Daniels and Dan Quinn
Yes, the Commanders lost, dropping to 1-4-1 − though that hardly disqualifies them from contending in their sad-sack division. But they fought almost all the way out of a deep hole against what is currently the league’s best team and were just a few breaks from pulling off a huge upset, a potential game-winning touchdown nullified by a penalty in the final five minutes. Eight days after the infamous botched tie and abhorrent clock management against the New York Giants, Daniels passed for 300 yards and two TDs despite being hamstrung by the personnel injuries around him, including the absence of his top receiver, running back and offensive lineman. As for Quinn, his team’s effort might have cooled talk that the popular third-year head coach's job security was in serious danger − though Washington is headed into a bye week that would provide the optimal time to make a change.
Brock Purdy
The San Francisco QB had another efficient night, completing 21 of 29 passes for 264 yards and a TD, and continues to look like a frontrunner to win the league's ultimate individual award.
McCaffrey brothers
All-Pro San Francisco RB Christian McCaffrey and Washington WR Luke McCaffrey shared an NFL field as competing brothers for the first time − their parents, including former Denver Broncos WR Ed McCaffrey, watching them from a Levi’s Stadium suite. Christian McCaffrey overcame a fumble to score two of the Niners' TDs. Luke McCaffrey averaged 24 yards on three kickoff returns but didn't get a touch from scrimmage, targeted once unsuccessfully by Daniels.
"I can't really put into words what it means to share the field with him," Christian McCaffrey told ESPN after the game. "It was a huge honor."
Christian and Luke McCaffrey after the game pic.twitter.com/uHIf028Qgh
— wok (@wokdior) October 20, 2026
Commanders pants
The gold trousers are back, and in a two-stripe tone for the first time. As Washington continues to try and restore appropriate remnants of its glory years, it donned white jerseys with the gold pants for the first time since the rebrand to Commanders in 2022.
The gold pants are back for the @Commanders #uniswag pic.twitter.com/QVDpbSvx9v
— UNISWAG (@UNISWAG) October 20, 2026
LOSERS
Veteran Pro Bowl wide receivers
Washington lost longtime team captain Terry McLaurin to an apparently serious knee injury in the first quarter. He went down in a heap, and his leg was placed in an airsplint before he was carted off the field. San Francisco’s Mike Evans walked off the field before halftime with an Achilles injury, though the tendon has been nagging him in recent weeks.
NFC East
Washington’s loss made the division the first in league history to be completely winless in consecutive weeks when none of the member teams were on a bye. The Giants, currently 3-2-1, remain in first place.
NFC West
It’s a touch early to say this race is over, but the Niners now have a three-game lead on the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (3-3) in the division, and a four-game edge on the disappointing Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals, who are both 2-4. Perhaps worse, San Francisco has already beaten each of its NFC West foes once this season, providing a further headstart in the tiebreaker department.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Commanders lose battle to 49ers but prevail in bigger war? Winners and losers
