The San Francisco 49ers on Monday narrowly avoided one of the ugliest losses of the Kyle Shanahan era.
Alas, they left Monday Night Football with a 23-17 victory over the Washington Commanders thanks to a pair of defensive stops late in the fourth quarter as the 49ers' offense sputtered.
Here are handful of things we learned and took away from San Francisco's sixth win in a row to open the 2026 regular season:
Tale of two halves
I'll let the numbers explain:
Here are the 49ers' offensive stats in the first half: 41 plays, 303 total yards, 7.4 yards per play, 20 points
Here are the 49ers' offensive stats in the second half: 19 plays, 72 yards, 3.8 yards per play, 3 points
Here are the Commanders' offensive stats in the first half: 17 plays, 90 yards, 5.3 yards per play,
3 points
Here are the Commanders' offensive stats in the second half: 44 plays, 224 yards, 5.1 yards per play, 14 points
No Mike Evans, big problem
The 49ers on four drives after Evans exited the game with an Achilles issue that head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed is not a tear, managed to gain 72 yards on 20 plays. They punted all three times they had the ball in the fourth quarter and looked entirely disjointed. The biggest problem was how uncomfortable quarterback Brock Purdy looked throwing to a makeshift receiving corps made up primarily of Brandin Cooks, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins. Purdy took two sacks in the second half in part because he wasn't cutting the ball loose as confidently as he typically does. This is something they'll have to get solved in the lead up to Week 7 in case Evans is out because their offense can't fall fully off the rails again.
Malik Mustapha the hero two weeks in a row
In Week 5 it was Mustapha who pushed Seattle Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp out of bounds short of the first-down marker on fourth down with the game on the line. In Week 6 it was Mustapha who came up with a perfect form tackle on a third-and-3 run late in the fourth quarter to make it fourth-and-3. On the next play it was Mustapha who broke up a pass intended for WR Treylon Burks that would have gone for a touchdown. San Francisco didn't close the game out on offense and it was the defensive line that eventually slammed the door on Washington, but Mustapha's two big plays before and after the two-minute warning to keep the 49ers in front 23-17 helped put them in position to seal a victory instead of having to play from behind and try to earn a comeback win.
Christian McCaffrey workload back to "normal"
It was a game the 49ers badly needed offensive production with their receiving corps more banged up than it has been all year. The solution was vintage high-usage McCaffrey game. The veteran RB notched 16 carries and nine receptions for a whopping 25 touches − his most of the season by a wide margin. His previous high was 19 in Week 3 vs. Arizona. Backup RB Kaelon Black had eight rushes and a reception which helped keep McCaffrey under 30 touches, but the 49ers need to have more solutions on offense than just leaning heavily on their star running back.
Jacob Cowing a factor in the wrong way
Cowing once again was a factor in the wrong way on special teams for the 49ers. He muffed another punt inside the 5-yard line and recovered it in time to be tackled at the 4. This is the second week in a row he's made a poor decision on a punt return and it nearly spelled disaster in a game that was ultimately decided by six points. Cowing was a non-factor offensively, earning zero targets, and his value as a return man is questionable. The 49ers have some decisions to make in their receiving corps and on special teams if Cowing continues to struggle to catch punts.
Young defenders keep shining
It was a slew of 49ers defenders on rookie contracts once again stepping up to make big plays, including Keion White and Romello Height who combined for the game-sealing sack. Height had his best game as a pro. Malik Mustapha had two game-saving plays on consecutive snaps. The first came before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter when he stuffed Washington RB Jeremy McNichols for no gain on third-and-three. The next play it was Mustapha breaking up a pass intended for Washington WR Treylon Burks in the end zone on fourth down. Defensive tackle Gracen Halton had another sack. Defensive end Mykel Williams had a sack and a batted pass that was nullified by an illegal contact penalty. Undrafted second-year defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez had a couple of splash plays including one where he nearly caused a fumble on a handoff by getting to the quarterback before the exchange. Rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger also shined with a couple of great sideline-to-sideline plays showing off his range and athleticism in the second level.
An Eddy Pineiro issue
Pineiro missed an extra point that could've cost the 49ers the game in a six-point win. That's his third missed extra point of the year. Not great!
More 49ers: 49ers injury update: WR Mike Evans' Achilles intact
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers vs Commanders: What we learned about San Francisco in Week 6 win
