Commanders vs. 49ers: San Francisco Rolls Past Washington 37-20
The Washington Commanders face the San Francisco 49ers in a big game toward the playoff picture in the NFC.
Following their 20-12 loss to the New York Giants, the Commanders have a 35 percent chance of making the playoffs. Currently, the Commanders hold the final Wild Card spot in the NFC.
This Saturday, Heinicke, Brian Robinson Jr. and the Commanders are faced with the tough task of finding offensive momentum against a 49ers defense that is best in the league this season, allowing just 15 points per game.
Washington's defense will face San Francisco rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. The Commanders could receive a boost with the impending return of defensive end Chase Young. San Francisco is coming off a 21-13 win vs. the Seattle Seahawks that clinched the NFC West title.
Here's a look at who won't play for the Commanders today ...
S Kam Curl (ankle)
QB Sam Howell
G Chris Paul
OL Saahdiq Charles (concussion)
DT Daniel Wise
Here's a look at who won't play for the 49ers today ...
QB Jimmy Garoppolo (foot)
WR Deebo Samuel (knee, ankle)
DT Kevin Givens (knee)
DL Kerry Hyder Jr. (ankle)
OL Nick Zakelj
DE Drake Jackson
TE Ross Dwelley
WHAT: Washington Commanders (7-6-1) vs. San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
WHERE: Levi Stadium, Santa Clara, California (68,500)
WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 24, 2022, 4:05 p.m. ET
TELEVISION: CBS | FuboTV (try it free)
RADIO: WMAL 105.9
BETTING via SI SportsBook
SPREAD: 49ers -7.5
TOTAL: 37.5 (o -110, u -110)
MONEYLINE: 49ers -333, Commanders +260
Stick around with Commander Country throughout the afternoon with live updates, drive-by-drive coverage and highlights.
First Quarter:
The Commanders get the ball to start the game.
Brian Robinson gets two carries and on third down, Taylor Heinicke goes deep but the pass was dropped by Jahan Dotson.
Change of possession.
San Francisco gets a first down on a four-yard run by Christian McCaffery. On third and seven, Brock Purdy's pass is complete to George Kittle for 24 yards to Washington's 24-yard line.
Tyler Davis-Price runs for six yards on first down. Davis-Price gets another carry and runs for three yards. On third and one, he's stopped short of a first down. On fourth and one, San Francisco tries to get Washington to jump offsides before calling a timeout. The 49ers go for it, and Kyle Juszczyk gets the carry and flips it to McCaffery and he's stopped short.
Change of possession.
Robinson gets the carry and loses a yard after being tackled by Nick Bosa. Robinson gets another handoff and gains 11 yards, but it's negated by a holding call against Charles Leno. On second and 18, Robinson gets four yards. On third and 13, Heinicke's pass intended for Terry McLaurin is nearly picked off before falling incomplete.
Ray Ray McCloud is tackled at San Francisco's 37-yard line. Unnecessary roughness on Washington adds 15 yards to the return for the 49ers.
Change of possession.
San Francisco begins the drive at Washington's 48-yard line after the penalty. Purdy's pass is complete to McCaffery for six yards. Purdy's pass is intended for Brandon Aiyuk and it's incomplete. On third and four, Daron Payne sacks Purdy for a loss of 12 yards.
Milne fields the punt at Washington's 11-yard line and he gets four yards on the return.
Change of possession.
Heinicke's pass is completed to Logan Thomas for three yards. Robinson gets the handoff and runs for nine yards and a first down.
Robinson gets another carry but only gains a yard. Heinicke keeps it and loses four yards. On third and 13, Heinicke's pass is complete to McLaurin for 13 yards and a first down.
Gibson comes into the game and is stopped for no gain on the carry. Heinicke gets sacked by Jordan Willis, but defensive holding gives Washington a first down.
Robinson only gains a yard on first down. Robinson gets another carry and is stopped for no gain. That's the final play of the first quarter.
End of the quarter.
Second Quarter:
On third and nine, Heinicke finds Dotson for 10 yards and a first down at San Francisco's 46-yard line.
Robinson gets the carry and runs for four yards. He gets another handoff and runs for 11 yards to the 49ers' 31-yard line.
Gibson comes into the game and runs for two yards. On second and eight, Heinicke scrambles to his right and his pass is complete to Dotson for 25 yards to the 49ers' five-yard line.
Robinson gets the handoff and it stopped at the line of scrimmage. Robinson gets another carry and runs for four yards to the one-yard line. On third and goal from the one, Robinson is stopped short of the goal line. On fourth and goal, Gibson gets the carry and he's stopped short of the end zone for a turnover on downs.
Change of possession.
McCaffery gets three yards on first down. He gets another carry and this time McCaffery runs for nine yards and a first down.
Davis-Price only gains a yard on first down. Purdy's pass intended for Kittle is batted down by Chase Young. On third and nine, Purdy's pass is complete to Jauan Jennings for 15 yards.
Purdy drops back to pass and it's tipped before falling incomplete. On second and 10, McCloud gets the carry on a reverse and he takes it to the end zone for a 71-yard touchdown.
Robbie Gould's extra point is good with 6:26 left in the first half.
49ers 7, Commanders 0
Change of possession.
Gould's kickoff goes out of bounds and Washington will start the drive at its 40-yard line.
Jonathan Williams only runs for a yard on first down. Heinicke's pass is completed to Gibson for 11 yards and he's pushed out at San Francisco's 47-yard line.
Heinicke's goes deep to Dotson and it's complete, but offensive and defensive holding will negate the play and they'll redo the down. Robinson gets the carry and is stopped for no gain. He gets the ball once more and loses a yard. On third and 11, Heinicke's pass to Dotson is incomplete.
McCloud calls for a fair catch at San Francisco's 13-yard line with 3:03 left in the first half.
Change of possession.
Purdy is intercepted on a bobbled pass to Jennings that finds its way to Darrick Forrest at San Francisco's 31-yard line.
Change of possession.
Robinson gains six yards on first down then runs for three on second down before the two-minute warning. Before third and one, Trai Turner jumps early for a false start. On third and six, Heinicke's pass is tipped then caught by Dotson for a first down.
On first down from the 49ers' 17-yard line, Bosa sacks Heinicke for a loss of 10 yards. Gibson only runs for two yards on second down. On third and 14, Heinicke finds Curtis Samuel for a 14-yard gain and a first down.
Washington calls its first timeout of the first half. Gibson runs for three yards to the 49ers' four-yard line and Washington calls another timeout with 27 seconds left in the half. On second and goal, Heinicke finds Dotson in the back of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown.
Joey Slye's extra point is good with 22 seconds left in the first half.
49ers 7, Commanders 7
Change of possession.
Slye's kickoff goes for a touchback.
McCaffery runs for two yards and that's the final play of the first half.
Halftime.
Third Quarter:
McCloud returns the kickoff to San Francisco's 24-yard line.
Purdy finds Aiyuk for a 13-yard gain and a first down.
Purdy's pass is completed to Kittle for another 13 yards to midfield.
McCaffery runs for three yards. Purdy hands it off to McCaffery again and this time he gains seven yards for a first down.
McCaffery gets another carry and gains four yards. Davis-Price runs for two yards to make it third and four. On third down, Purdy goes deep and his pass is complete to Kittle in the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown.
Gould's extra point is good.
49ers 14, Commanders 7
Change of possession.
Gibson muffs the kickoff then recovers and returns it to Washington's 11-yard line.
Robinson runs for two yards on first down. Heinicke completes a pass to Thomas but only gets two yards. On third and six, Heinicke's pass intended for Gibson is incomplete.
Tress Way's punt is downed at San Francisco's 43-yard line.
Change of possession.
McCaffery runs for three yards on first down. On second and seven, Purdy's pass is complete to Kittle, but a holding call on Aaron Banks moves San Francisco back. On second and 17, Purdy scrambles to his left then he throws it away. Purdy looks for McCloud on third down but it's incomplete.
Dax Milne calls for a fair catch at Washington's 25-yard line.
Change of possession.
Robinson gets the carry and gains two yards. Robinson gets another handoff on second down and gains four yards. On third and four, Heinicke's pass is complete to Samuel for three yards. Heinicke keeps it and he's stopped short and it's a turnover on downs at Washington's 34-yard line.
Change of possession.
Purdy completes a short pass to Aiyuk for just a yard. AFter play action, Purdy completes the pass to Kittle and he runs past the defense for a 33-yard touchdown.
Gould's extra point is good.
49ers 21, Commanders 7
Change of possession.
Washington will start the drive at its 25-yard line.
Heinicke finds Dotson for an 18-yard gain.
Heinicke goes deep and finds McLaurin for a 51-yard completion to the 49ers' six-yard line.
On first and goal, Robinson runs for three yards. Heinicke finds McLaurin in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown.
Slye's extra point is good with 2:46 left in the third quarter.
49ers 21, Commanders 14
Change of possession.
Slye's kickoff goes through the end zone for a touchback. Unnecessary roughness against Washington adds 15 yards to the touchback for San Francisco.
Purdy finds Aiyuk and he turns it into a gain of 54 yards to San Francisco's six-yard line.
On first and goal, McCaffery only gets a yard. Purdy scrambles then goes out of bounds for a loss of three yards. A false start on Mike McGlinchey moves San Francisco back to the 14-yard line. Purdy throws a screen to McCaffery and he gains six yards. That's the final play of the third quarter.
End of the quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
The 26-yard field goal by Gould is good.
49ers 24, Commanders 14
Change of possession.
Gibson returns the kickoff to Washington's 19-yard line. Samuel gets the handoff on an end around and gains two yards. Heinicke drops back to pass and he's strip-sacked by Bosa and San Francisco recovers the fumble at Washington's 12-yard line.
Change of possession.
McCaffery gets the carry and only gains a yard before running out of bounds. Purdy's pass to Kittle gains five yards. Before third and five, McGlinchey jumps for a false start. On third and 10, Purdy keeps it and gains six yards.
The 23-yard field goal is good by Gould with 12:02 to play.
49ers 27, Commanders 14
Change of possession.
Milne returns the kickoff to Washington's 19-yard line. Robinson gets the handoff and gains three yards. Heinicke drops back to pass and he's picked off by Jimmy Ward and he runs it back for a touchdown. The play is under further review, the interception stands but he's ruled down at Washington's 25-yard line.
Change of possession.
Purdy's pass is complete to Aiyuk for four yards. McCaffery gets the handoff and loses two yards. On third and eight, Purdy's pass is complete to Jennings for six yards.
Gould comes out to kick a 35-yard field goal and it's good.
49ers 30, Commanders 14
Change of possession.
Milne returns the kickoff to Washington's 19-yard line. Carson Wentz is in the game for the Commanders.
Wentz's pass intended for Thomas is incomplete. Williams gets the carry and gains nine yards. On third and one, Wentz's pass is completed to Samuel for four yards.
Wentz completes a short pass to Williams for 21 yards to San Francisco's 48-yard line.
Wentz's pass to Thomas is complete for four yards. The 49ers are challenging if Thomas made the catch. After further review, the call stands. Wentz finds Gibson for a 12-yard gain and another first down.
Wentz's pass is completed to Williams for seven yards. Wentz finds Thomas for a five-yard gain and another first down to the 49ers' 20-yard line.
Wentz finds Dotson for a five-yard gain. After further discussion, the pass is ruled incomplete. Wentz's pass intended for Thomas is incomplete. On third and 10, Wentz's pass is complete to Samuel and he runs it into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown.
On the two-point conversion, Wentz is sacked by Bosa with 5:25 to play.
49ers 30, Commanders 20
Change of possession.
Washington attempts an onside kick and it stops well short of 10 yards. San Francisco will take over at Washington's 33-yard line.
Davis-Price gains two yards on first down. He gets the ball again and runs for seven yards. Washington calls its first timeout with 4:42 left to play. On third and one, Davis-Price runs for five yards and a first down at Washington's 19-yard line. The Commanders call their second timeout with 4:37 left.
Davis-Price runs for three yards and Washington calls its final timeout. Purdy drops back to pass and is sacked by Benjamin St-Juste for a loss of four yards. San Francisco calls its second timeout with 3:45 left. On third and 11, McCaffery runs for eight yards to Washington's 11-yard line. The 49ers call their final timeout with 3:02 left in the game. San Francisco puts its offense back on the field. On fourth and three, Purdy's pass is completed to Kittle for 10 yards to Washington's one-yard line.
McCaffery gets the handoff and he runs it in for a touchdown.
Gould's extra point is good with 2:13 to play.
49ers 37, Commanders 20
Change of possession.
Milne returns the kickoff to Washington's 17-yard line. Williams runs for two yards and the game has reached the two-minute warning. Wentz's pass to Williams is incomplete. Wentz's pass to Thomas is complete for 15 yards.
Wentz's pass is completed to Dotson for nine yards. Wentz finds McLaurin for a 13-yard gain to San Francisco's 43-yard line.
Wentz finds Samuel for a 12-yard gain.
Wentz completes a pass to Thomas for five yards and that's the final play of the game.
Final: 49ers 37, Commanders 20
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