EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsSANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For about 30 minutes on Monday night, the San Francisco 49ers looked poised to roll to their sixth consecutive victory against the Washington Commanders.Then, wide receiver Mike Evans, attempting to play through a sore right Achilles, went down after a 16-yard catch. When he finally got back up moments later, he hobbled to the locker room and did not return.Upon his departure, he took San Francisco's momentum with him. That left the Niners doing something they haven't had to do much of this season: scrambling to pull out a late victory.Washington battled back from a 20-point deficit in a second half that almost completely flipped the script. Costly 49ers penalties paired with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels' second-half rhythm, allowed Washington to come within inches of taking a late lead and the upset.Instead, safety Malik Mustapha's fourth-down pass breakup at the goal line paired with a game-clinching sack from Romello Height and Keion White spurred the Niners to a 23-17 win.While the Niners escaped with a win, the question now centers on Evans' health. The 49ers are already without wideouts Ricky Pearsall (knee), De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle), Demarcus Robinson (ankle) and Christian Kirk (calf), leaving quarterback Brock Purdy to throw to a patchwork group of receivers that includes Brandin Cooks, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing. 49ers WRs not named Evans had two catches for 35 yards.Although Kirk and Robinson are close to returning, the Niners might need to consider a trade to get some help in the building if Evans misses any significant time. Or even if he doesn't.Here are the most important things to know for both teams:San Francisco 49ers (6-0)What to make of Brock Purdy's performance: After five pass attempts on the game's opening drive, Purdy hit 1,500 career passes, which made him the highest-rated passer among qualified quarterbacks in league history. Purdy and the offense came out throwing and was on track for one of his biggest statistical performances of the season before a big lead and the injury to Evans left the Niners looking to run the ball and the clock to put the game away. Still, Purdy did more than his share in leading San Francisco to the win, finishing 21-of-29 for 264 yards and 1 touchdown. He didn't throw an interception and gained 28 yards on five carries.Stat to know: Through the first five weeks, running back Christian McCaffrey was averaging his lowest number of touches (16) and scrimmage yards per game (84.6) since his rookie season in 2017. That has partially been by design to help McCaffrey stay fresh, but with Evans out, the Niners needed him on Monday night. McCaffrey had his most active night of the season, finishing with 25 touches for 117 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns. He also lost a fumble as San Francisco was driving deep in Washington territory.Trend to watch: With the exception of punter Corliss Waitman's continued excellence, the Niners special teams remained an adventure. For the second week in a row, punt returner Jacob Cowing muffed a punt, this time inside San Francisco's 5. He recovered it but the Niners had to begin their least effective drive of the first half from the 4. What's more, kicker Eddy Pineiro missed his third extra point of the season. That goes with his three missed field goal attempts to bring his total missed kicks for the season to six. That's the most in the NFL and more than he had all of last season. The Niners also were called for fair-catch interference on a punt that set up the Commanders at their 46 with 52 seconds left. For a team that's been so good on offense and defense, special teams are again emerging as a concerning question mark. -- Nick WagonerNext game: at Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)Washington Commanders (1-4-1)The Commanders were headed to an embarrassing defeat with a first half that did nothing to quell speculation on coach Dan Quinn's future -- especially after their overtime gaffe the previous week in the tie vs. the Giants. Washington needs to be beyond moral victories in Quinn's third season, but by rallying with a chance to win the game the Commanders at least showed they could and would compete.Even though multiple ownership sources said Quinn's job was safe, the rally certainly helped quiet that noise. If the Commanders play in the NFC East like they did in the second half -- especially with how quarterback Jayden Daniels has played the past two weeks -- they can have a chance. Multiple team officials pointed out before the game that, regardless of Monday's outcome, they knew the season was far from over because of the NFC East's lackluster play overall. First up after the bye: a home game vs. Philadelphia. The NFC East became the first division in NFL history to go winless in consecutive weeks in which all teams in the division played a game.What to make of Jayden Daniels' performance: Daniels had one bad play in the first half when, on a fourth down, he threw the ball away. It's uncertain if Washington knew it was fourth down. But other than that, Daniels played another solid game in rallying the Commanders from a 20-3 halftime deficit. Washington lacked a running game so the burden was on Daniels to produce. He threw two touchdown passes in the second half. Perhaps his best throw came on a third-and-eight with pressure in his face as he had to throw early to receiver Antonio Williams. The 23-yard completion and roughing penalty set up his second touchdown pass. Daniels completed 29 of 40 attempts for 300 yards.Trend to watch: Red zone defense. It has been terrible for Washington as it allowed 12 touchdowns in a row on red zone trips. It had allowed nine straight entering the game and the 49ers scored a touchdown on their first three trips. The Commanders finally broke the streak by forcing a field goal late in the first half. They have struggled to defend tight ends in this area and, predictably, George Kittle caught the first touchdown pass of the game vs. zone coverage.Most surprising performance: The Commanders' second-half defense. They had allowed a combined 85 points in the past four second halves combined. They appeared to save their worst half for the first two quarters Monday by allowing 303 yards and 20 points. But in the second half they allowed only 64 yards and three points allowing the offense to rally. Washington allowed 7.4 yards per play in the first half and 3.79 in the second half. -- John KeimNext game: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Nov. 1, 8:20 p.m. ET)
