The San Francisco 49ers extended their undefeated start to the 2026 season on Monday Night Football, outlasting a late rally by the Washington Commanders to secure a 23-17 victory at Levi’s Stadium.
With the win, San Francisco moves to 6-0 on the year and officially claims the lead for the most victories in Monday Night Football history with 56 franchise wins.
The evening carried heavy emotion before kickoff as franchise legend Keena Turner was officially inducted as the 34th member of the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame during halftime. In a show of solidarity for suspended teammate Dre Greenlaw, serving a one-game suspension for an unsportsmanlike penalty in Week 5, Turner wore Greenlaw's jersey during his honoring.
Brock Purdy Claims All-Time Passer Rating History
Entering Monday night needing just five pass attempts to qualify for the NFL’s all-time career leaderboard, Brock Purdy made immediate history. By surpassing the 1,500-attempt threshold, Purdy’s career 105.4 passer rating officially moved him past Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers for the highest career passer rating in NFL history.
Purdy capitalized early against Washington’s league-worst red zone defense. On San Francisco's opening drive, Purdy connected with tight end George Kittle for an 11-yard touchdown to cap a fast start.
First-Half Dominance and Mike Evans Injury Exits
Following a defensive three-and-out to open the game, aided by a dropped pass from Washington receiver Stefon Diggs, the Commanders got on the board with a 51-yard field goal from Drew Stevens.
San Francisco responded immediately on its second drive. Christian McCaffrey, who squared off against his younger brother, Washington wideout Luke McCaffrey, punched in his first rushing touchdown of the night. Though Eddy Piñeiro missed the extra point, San Francisco took a 13-3 lead.
McCaffrey’s night featured historical duality, he extended his NFL record as the only player to average over 40 rushing and 40 receiving yards per game in a career, he also surrendered his first fumble of the 2026 season on a long second-quarter run.
Before halftime, veteran receiver Mike Evans, who suited up despite cracked ribs and Achilles soreness, re-aggravated his left Achilles. Evans was assisted to the tunnel right before the break and was officially ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
Despite losing Evans, Purdy quarterback sneak pushed the offense to the 1-yard line before McCaffrey plunged in for his second touchdown, extending San Francisco’s lead to 20-3 at halftime.
Commanders Fight Back in the Second Half
Washington made adjustments out of the break, slowing San Francisco's momentum. The 49ers managed a 33-yard field goal from Piñeiro midway through the third quarter to push the lead to 23-3.
With 15 seconds remaining in the third, Washington found the end zone for the first time on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to Stefon Diggs, trimming the score to 23-10.
The fourth quarter turned into a defensive slugfest for Raheem Morris’ unit as discipline began to slip, with San Francisco racking up seven total penalties in the second half. Rookie pass rusher Mykel Williams recorded a key third-down sack in his second game back from injury, but penalties repeatedly kept Washington drives alive. The 49ers defense surrendered four first downs via penalty, including a crucial illegal contact call on Ashtyn Davis that negated a 4th-and-8 sack by Romello Height.
Washington put together an 80-yard drive to cut the deficit to 23-17 on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rachaad White.
Late Red-Zone Stand Seals 6-0 Start
Facing a 4th-and-goal scenario inside the 10-yard line with 1:54 left, safety Malik Mustapha made a massive play, leaping to break up Daniels’ pass intended for Treylon Burks in the end zone to force a turnover on downs.
However, the drama wasn't over. The 49ers went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, giving Washington one last chance to steal the game.
On the final drive, Jayden Daniels was called for an intentional grounding penalty to avoid a sack. The mandatory 10-second runoff proved costly for the Commanders, draining the clock down to six seconds and leaving them facing a 3rd-and-22. On the game's final snap, the 49ers' pass rush brought Daniels down one last time to seal the 23-17 victory. The win pushes San Francisco to 6-0, marking just the second time under Kyle Shanahan the franchise has opened a season undefeated through six games. The last time they did it in 2019? They went all the way to the Super Bowl.