The 49ers thumped the Commanders 37-20 at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It was their eighth consecutive victories and kept them in the hunt to climb higher than the No. 3 seed in the NFC. They did give up more than 70 rushing yards and more than 17 points for the first time since Week 7, which is probably a cause for concern (kidding! It isn’t!).
Anyway, it’s Christmas so let’s get to it:
Kyle Shanahan's 4th down call
The 49ers late in Saturday’s game had a fourth-and-3 from Washington’s 11 with just over three minutes to go. They were leading 30-20 at the time so a field goal would’ve put them up 13 as the clock wound under three minutes left. Instead of going ahead two touchdowns, Shanahan went for the jugular. He had QB Brock Purdy drop back to pass, and the QB delivered a throw in a tight window to TE George Kittle, who made a sensational sliding grab at the 1. Christian McCaffrey scored one play later to put the 49ers ahead 37-20 with 2:16 to go to ice the game.
The call was fascinating for the typically conservative coach. It was a sign that his trust in Purdy may be growing to the point where the 49ers offense becomes more aggressive in those fourth down spots.
Two game-changing stands
The 49ers’ defense came up with a pair of big stops. Between the first and second quarters, Washington went 84 yards on 17 plays to get inside the 49ers’ 5. They ran it four times in a row and were unable to punch one in to take an early lead though.
Then in the third quarter Washington went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 34. San Francisco’s defense stopped their rushing attempt short to give their offense the ball in great field position. Two plays later George Kittle was running into the end zone to put the 49ers up 21-7 late in the third quarter.
Without those two stands, Saturday’s game would’ve gone very differently. Despite Purdy’s strong play, this is still a team spearheaded by its defense.
Nick Bosa is the DPOY
There are a ton of good, impactful defensive players in the NFL, but on a defense full of excellent players, Bosa shines. He had two more sacks Saturday to give him an NFL-best 17.5 for the season. He also had four QB hits, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Bosa’s impact is always felt, but late in games when it’s closing time, he’s the most unblockable player in the league.
Tyrion Davis-Price sighting!
A hamstring injury for RB Jordan Mason opened the door for Davis-Price to get his first real action since Week 2. He ran well and posted 30 yards on nine carries, and was one of the players they leaned on to help salt the game away. Davis-Price isn’t as physical as Mason, but he’s shifty and created some yardage through good vision and a couple of nice cuts. The 49ers have good depth in their backfield, and they may lean more on Davis-Price to spell Christian McCaffrey even as Mason gets healthier.
Shoutout to Jimmie Ward
Jimmie Ward grabbed an interception off Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke. It not only helped the 49ers pull away late, but it was also Ward’s third INT of the year, which set a new single-season high for him. The big knock on Ward in his career is a lack of turnover generation, but he’s been very good in that area in 2022 while switching to the nickel cornerback spot.
No major injuries
The 49ers managed to get out of the game with no major injury issues. There’s a chance something crops up overnight, but immediately after the game Shanahan said some nausea for Charvarius Ward was the team’s only health problem during the game. Ward returned to the contest after briefly exiting.
This Brock Purdy play
The smoothest incomplete pass ever thrown. pic.twitter.com/USnapRuRT8
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) December 24, 2022
Turning negative plays into neutral ones, one ridiculous scramble at a time.
