The 49ers were far from perfect in the first half.
The Commanders had drives to the San Francisco 33 and 13; kicker Eddy Piñeiro missed his third extra point of the season; running back Christian McCaffrey lost his first fumble since Week 12 of 2024; safety Malik Mustapha had his second helmet-to-helmet hit of the season, though he wasn't penalized; and tight end Luke Farrell had two penalties for 25 yards.
The 49ers, though, were good enough, taking a 20-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.
San Francisco gained 303 yards, with Brock Purdy going 17-of-22 for 214 yards and a touchdown. Mike Evans caught three passes for 94 yards. McCaffrey had 16 touches for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Kittle had four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Evans has been battling Achilles soreness and appeared to aggravate the injury on a 16-yard catch with 1:10 remaining in the first half. He walked directly to the training room for treatment after the play.
The Commanders had two first downs, 17 plays and 90 yards. Jayden Daniels was 7-of-10 for 88 yards, and for the second consecutive week, he made a poor decision. Daniels threw away a fourth-and-2 pass with the Commanders on the San Francisco 13.
The Commanders lost star wide receiver Terry McLaurin with a knee injury. He was carted off the field in the first quarter and almost immediately ruled out. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs appeared to injure a finger on Mustapha's illegal hit, but he returned to the game. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw limped off the field after McCaffrey's touchdown run with 13 seconds left in the half.