Last weekend, the Seattle Seahawks held the San Francisco 49ers to 269 total yards, 14 first downs, and 4-of-12 on third downs. Those are numbers most teams, including Washington, would take any day of the week versus an undefeated football team in Week 5. The problem, of course, is figuring out how that defensive performance still ended in a 32-29 loss for Seattle.

After going unsacked in the first four games, the Seahawks brought the pressure and got to Purdy three times, including two sacks by defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who also added seven pressures. That doesn't mean the Commanders will automatically replicate that success, but Seattle's pressure, interior stops, and third-down stops helped keep San Francisco from sustaining drives.

San Francisco capitalized on the Seahawks' mistakes, scoring 21 points on takeaways. That included a fumble near Seattle’s goal line that became a 49ers defensive touchdown. Only 11 of San Francisco’s 32 points came from drives that didn’t follow a Seattle turnover.

Turnovers weren't the only factor; heading into the fourth quarter, Seattle led 26-21 before San Francisco put together a 12-play, 74-yard touchdown drive and capped it off with the two-point conversion. After Seattle tied it, the 49ers drove 43 yards downfield for the winning field goal. San Francisco is a very capable team; the Seahawks got after Purdy and disrupted his game for much of the day, but they couldn't finish the job on the final few stops.

What Seattle’s Loss Means for Washington

Washington has already seen how a game like that can play out from the other side. The Seahawks outgained the Commanders 437-258 in Week 3, but three Seattle turnovers led to three Washington touchdowns in a 33-31 win. Washington has given the ball away only twice through five games, and keeping it that way would give its defense a chance to make the stops it gets against Purdy matter.

Getting those stops is its own problem. San Francisco leads the NFL in third-down conversions by converting 51.9% of its third downs, while Washington has allowed opponents to convert 43.3% of theirs. Seattle got Purdy off the field often enough to keep the game within reach. If the Commanders let the 49ers extend those drives Monday, the pressure and early-down stops won't add up to much.

The late-game part is where this gets more uncomfortable for Washington. The Commanders have allowed 95 points after halftime, the most in the NFL, while San Francisco averages 17.8 in the second half, second most. Washington just let a 14-point fourth-quarter lead against the Giants turn into a tie, and Purdy showed against Seattle that he doesn't need his best game to take advantage when a defense can't get one more stop.

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