3 Takeaways From the 49ers’ Monday Night Victory Over the Commanders

The San Francisco 49ers improved to 6-0 on the 2026 season following a 23-17 victory over the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. Kyle Shanahan’s squad found a way to finish under the primetime lights at Levi's Stadium.

Here are three key takeaways from Monday night’s win as San Francisco matches its best start under Shanahan.

Entering Monday night needing just five pass attempts to qualify for the NFL's all-time career passer rating leaderboard, Brock Purdy took over the top spot in league history.

Crossing the 1,500-attempt threshold, Purdy’s career passer rating of 105.6 officially surpassed Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers for the highest mark in NFL history. On the field, Purdy backed up the milestone by earning an 82.5 PFF offensive grade, completing 72.4% of his passes for 264 yards and a touchdown to George Kittle, while adding 28 yards on the ground.

Most impressively, Purdy was at his best when the pocket collapsed, posting an 80.6 passing grade under pressure. Through six weeks, Purdy is playing like an MVP frontrunner.

With Dre Greenlaw serving a one-game suspension and Nick Bosa sidelined with a calf injury, Raheem Morris needed young defenders to step into high-leverage roles. The 49ers' pass rush and linebacking corps answered the call, generating 27 total pressures on Jayden Daniels.

Rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger posted a team-high 11 tackles and an 82.9 pass-rush grade filling in for Greenlaw. Meanwhile, edge rusher Romello Height and interior disruptor Osa Odighizuwa combined for 10 pressures, continuously flushing Daniels out of the pocket. While discipline was an issue, San Francisco surrendered seven second-half penalties, the sheer talent and motor of this young defensive depth kept Washington out of the end zone when it mattered most.

The victory came at a high cost for San Francisco. Veteran receiver Mike Evans, who was dominant early with three catches for 94 yards, re-aggravated an Achilles injury in the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. With Deebo Samuel already sidelined, the offense sputtered in the second half, opening the door for Washington to mount an 80-yard touchdown drive and narrow the deficit to 23-17.

However, when Washington drove deep into San Francisco territory with under two minutes remaining, safety Malik Mustapha delivered the play of the game, leaping to knock down Daniels' 4th-and-goal pass intended for Treylon Burks. After a subsequent three-and-out gave Washington one last breath, the 49ers' pass rush closed the door with a walk-off sack as time expired.