When Washington Commanders safety Kamren Curl missed Thursday’s practice with an ankle injury, things weren’t looking good for his availability in Saturday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Curl had practiced on a limited basis Tuesday and Wednesday, so seeing him unavailable Thursday meant the Commanders needed a contingency plan. Curl traveled with the team to California and tried to give it a go but could not play.
That meant veteran special-team/safety Jeremy Reaves and rookie Percy Butler would join Darrick Forrest in the starting lineup.
While San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t put up big numbers, he was accurate, executed Kyle Shanahan’s offense with precision, and took advantage of having tight end George Kittle. Purdy found Kittle for two touchdowns in the third quarter to give the 49ers a 21-7 lead, and they’d never look back.
Reaves played well in Curl’s absence. Unfortunately, Curl was really missed, and two plays stood out.
Watch Forrest on this 34-yard touchdown pass to Kittle.
Jingle Bell Brock!@brockpurdy13 x @gkittle46
📺 #WASvsSF on CBS
📱 NFL+ https://t.co/KTh0i461x9 pic.twitter.com/sXz2V1FRMo— San Francisco 49ers – x (@49ers) December 24, 2022
Forrest has been outstanding all season, so there’s nothing to worry about there; just emphasizing how the Commanders missed Curl.
After the game, Forrest acknowledged the mistake.
“That first one was definitely a misread on me,” Forrest said. “I have to be better than that. I knew as soon as I saw him, this is my fault. I definitely learned from that and will get better.”
Then, there is the Ray-Ray McCloud 71-yard touchdown run.
Ray-Ray McCloud 71 yards to the house!
📺: #WASvsSF on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/pK8tdd0xDl pic.twitter.com/4sfAA4ByP8— NFL (@NFL) December 24, 2022
Washington gets an extra day of rest ahead of next week’s game against the Cleveland Browns. You can bet head coach Ron Rivera wants a healthy Curl back in action alongside Forrest as the Commanders inch closer to a playoff berth.
