Instant analysis of Commanders’ loss against the San Francisco 49ers

The Washington Commanders’ late comeback against the San Francisco 49ers fell short, and they lost 23-17 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

San Francisco took the early lead with a 64-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession. Washington responded with a field goal on their first drive, making it 7-3. The 49ers offense continued to run all over the Commanders with another touchdown in the first quarter. After missing the extra point, Washington fell behind 13-3.

In the second quarter, the Commanders were able to get down to San Francisco’s 13-yard line. However, on fourth and two, they went for it and, instead of giving one of his receivers a chance to convert, quarterback Jayden Daniels threw it away, turning the ball over on downs. San Francisco lost a fumble on their next drive, but the Commanders couldn't do anything with it and were forced to punt for the second time in the game. The 49ers would add another touchdown before halftime, making it 20-3.

Washington started the second half the same way the first half ended, with another short drive that ended in a punt. Their defense held San Francisco to a field goal on its first drive of the second half, making it 23-3. That is when the momentum started to turn in the Commanders’ favor.

The Commanders finally got into the end zone just before the end of the third quarter to make it 23-10. After forcing the 49ers to punt on the next drive, Washington drove for another touchdown when Daniels connected with running back Rachaad White to make it 23-17. San Francisco had to punt again after that drive, giving the Commanders the ball back.

Daniels engineered a 13-play drive, taking Washington all the way to the 49ers’ 17-yard line. On fourth-and-eight, they went for it and failed to convert with 1:54 left. The Commanders’ defense stepped up on the ensuing drive, forcing San Francisco to punt after a three-and-out, giving the offense one last chance to score.

Their final drive started near midfield with 52 seconds after San Francisco was called for fair catch interference. Washington had no timeouts after using them on the 49ers’ last drive to preserve time. They converted a third-and-one on a 17-yard pass from Daniels to rookie Antonio Williams for his third catch of the night.

With the Commanders down to the 49ers’ 28-yard line, Daniels was called for intentional grounding, which included a 10-second runoff, leaving just six seconds left on the clock and the ball at the 40-yard line. Washington’s only option was a hail mary to win. However, Daniels never got the pass off as he was sacked on the final play of the game. The Commanders came up just short in their comeback attempt against the 49ers, losing 23-17.

Final score

Play of the Game

.@Chaad_1 in the endzone ‼️

📺 #WASvsSF on ESPN pic.twitter.com/2wABqdIg3B

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 20, 2026

This was Daniels’ second touchdown of the game and the play that made it a one-possession game. Even after Washington’s first touchdown, it didn’t seem like it had a chance against the 49ers. After that score, it was clear the Commanders weren’t going anywhere, and the game would go to the end.

Numbers to know

• 1/3: Washington finished the game with just one fourth-down conversion on three attempts. Their two failed conversions were the difference in this game, since both were in the red zone. Perhaps the Commanders should have kicked field goals in those situations instead of going for it. But they still left a lot of points on the board and could have come away with this game with a win.
• 53: With Jacory Croskey-Merritt on injured reserve, the Commanders turned to Rachaad White, Jeremy McNichols and Austin Ekeler in the run game. However, Washington managed only 53 rushing yards all game. It is hard to function as an offense when you cannot get the run game going, and that showed in this game.
• 0: One thing you cannot say about Washington is that they are careless with the football. For the fourth time this season, the Commanders did not commit a turnover. If they can clean up some of their other mistakes, they could start stacking some wins down the stretch, especially in division games.

Game balls

• QB Jayden Daniels: Daniels and the passing game came alive in the second half and gave the Commanders a chance to win this game in the end. Throwing the ball away on the one fourth-down attempt was a bad decision, but the intentional grounding at the end of the game was not. He could not get out of the pocket, and there were no receivers in the area. If he had gotten sacked, the game would have been over. At least the penalty gave Washington a chance. Daniels needs to clean up some mental errors over the past two games, but he still had a very impressive game.
• LB Sonny Styles: Watching this game, it felt like rookie Sonny Styles was all over the field. He is clearly one of Washington’s best defenders and finished the game as the leading tackler with 13 total tackles, including seven solo tackles. Styles also defended a pass. Right now, he is everything the Commanders were looking for when they drafted him, and he will give Washington the chance to be competitive in other games throughout the rest of this season.
• TE Chig Okonkwo: With top receiver Terry McLaurin going down in this game and Stefon Diggs not playing at full strength, the Commanders needed someone to step up. Okonkwo was that person, finishing as Washington’s leading receiver with seven receptions for 69 yards. The Commanders will likely lean on him throughout the season if McLaurin’s injury is serious.

What’s next

After this loss, the Commanders have a bye week, then face a rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles, who will look very different with quarterback Jalen Hurts out for the season. They will also be waiting to see how serious Terry McLaurin’s injury is. If he is out for the season, that will be a huge blow to Washington’s receiving core.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Instant analysis of Commanders’ loss against the San Francisco 49ers