The Washington Commanders’ late comeback against the San Francisco 49ers fell short, and they lost 23-17 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

San Francisco took the early lead with a 64-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession. Washington responded with a field goal on their first drive, making it 7-3. The 49ers offense continued to run all over the Commanders with another touchdown in the first quarter. After missing the extra point, Washington fell behind 13-3.

In the second quarter, the Commanders were able to get down to San Francisco’s 13-yard line. However, on fourth and two, they went for it and, instead of giving one of his receivers a chance to convert, quarterback Jayden Daniels threw it away, turning the ball over on downs. San Francisco lost a fumble on their next drive, but the Commanders couldn't do anything with it and were forced to punt for the second time in the game. The 49ers would add another touchdown before halftime, making it 20-3.

Washington started the second half the same way the first half ended, with another short drive that ended in a punt. Their defense held San Francisco to a field goal on its first drive of the second half, making it 23-3. That is when the momentum started to turn in the Commanders’ favor.

The Commanders finally got into the end zone just before the end of the third quarter to make it 23-10. After forcing the 49ers to punt on the next drive, Washington drove for another touchdown when Daniels connected with running back Rachaad White to make it 23-17. San Francisco had to punt again after that drive, giving the Commanders the ball back.

Daniels engineered a 13-play drive, taking Washington all the way to the 49ers’ 17-yard line. On fourth-and-eight, they went for it and failed to convert with 1:54 left. The Commanders’ defense stepped up on the ensuing drive, forcing San Francisco to punt after a three-and-out, giving the offense one last chance to score.

Their final drive started near midfield with 52 seconds after San Francisco was called for fair catch interference. Washington had no timeouts after using them on the 49ers’ last drive to preserve time. They converted a third-and-one on a 17-yard pass from Daniels to rookie Antonio Williams for his third catch of the night.

With the Commanders down to the 49ers’ 28-yard line, Daniels was called for intentional grounding, which included a 10-second runoff, leaving just six seconds left on the clock and the ball at the 40-yard line. Washington’s only option was a hail mary to win. However, Daniels never got the pass off as he was sacked on the final play of the game. The Commanders came up just short in their comeback attempt against the 49ers, losing 23-17.

Final score

Play of the Game

This was Daniels’ second touchdown of the game and the play that made it a one-possession game. Even after Washington’s first touchdown, it didn’t seem like it had a chance against the 49ers. After that score, it was clear the Commanders weren’t going anywhere, and the game would go to the end.

Numbers to know

Game balls

What’s next

After this loss, the Commanders have a bye week, then face a rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles, who will look very different with quarterback Jalen Hurts out for the season. They will also be waiting to see how serious Terry McLaurin’s injury is. If he is out for the season, that will be a huge blow to Washington’s receiving core.