Game Recap Washington Commanders at San Francisco 49ers

Game Recap Washington Commanders at San Francisco 49ers

December 25, 2022

By Noonefromtampa

First Half

San Francisco won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Washington went three and out after Brian Robinson lost 2 yards on first down and picked up 6 yards on second down. Then, on third down, Taylor Heinicke threw deep back shoulder to Jahan Dotson who stopped as the defensive back ran past him; however, Dotson uncharacteristically dropped the ball on what was sure to be a long completion or possibly even a touchdown. Tress Way came in and punted it 62 yards, but Ray-Ray McCloud returned it 13 yards.

The 49ers were able to put together a 9 play, 50 yard drive on their first possession. They opened with a none yard completion to Brandon Aiyuk. They mixed in running by Christian McCaffrey and Tyrion Davis-Price. The big play on the drive was a 25 yard completion from Brock Purdy to George Kittle which moved the ball down to the Washington 24 yard line. The 49ers failed to convert a fourth down running play, which was well played by the Commanders defense.

Washington went three and out again on their next possession. Washington’s defense stepped up on the next 49ers drive. After stopping McCaffrey for a 6 yard gain and forcing an incompletion, Daron Payne sacked Purdy for an 8 yard loss to force a punt.

Washington then went on a long 17 play, 84 yard drive. The drive started with a three yard completion to Logan Thomas and a 9 yard run by Robinson for Washington’s first 1^st down of the game. The drive was helped along by a 14 yard completion to Terry McLaurin on third down and 13. A defensive holding called against Charvarius Ward negated a sack of Heinicke and gave the Commanders a first down. Dotson picked up 11 yards on a third and nine play. Dotson also caught a 25 yard completion which put the ball on the 49ers five yard line with a first and goal. Washington was unable to convert and turned over the ball on downs. Ron Rivera‘s decision to not attempt a field goal was a curious decision given that the 49ers have the NFL’s #1 defense.

On the 49ers next possession, McCaffrey picked up 12 yards on two successive running plays. Jauan Jennings caught a 15 yard completion to move the ball out to the 49ers 29 yard line. Two plays later, McCloud took the ball on a jet sweep and ran 71 yards for the touchdown. 49ers 7, Commanders 0.

On the followng possession, Antonio Gibson picked up a first down on a nine yard reception on second down. Then, Heinicke hit Dotson for a 39 yard pass play which unfortunately was negated by offsetting penalties. The Commanders lost 1 yard on the next three plays and were forced to punt it away.

Then, Purdy attempted a quick slant to Jennings who tipped the ball into the air, and it was intercepted by Darrick Forrest. Robinson picked up 9 yards on two running plays, but on third down Trai Turner was called for a false start. Dotson picked up 9 yards and a first down on a throw from Heinicke on the next play. A sack by Nick Bosa cost the Commanders 9 yards. Gibson got back 5 yards on a hard run and the Curtis Samuel pick the 14 yards needed for a first down on a catch over the right side. Gibson picked up 4 yards rushing on first down and Dotson caught a 4 yard touchdown pass. 49ers 7, Commanders 7.

The 49ers ran out the clock to end the half. 49ers 7, Commanders 7.

Second Half

The 49ers opened on offense and head coach Kyle Shanahan made adjustments which were effective. The 49ers opened with two passes which each gained 13 yards. Then, they went back to the running game and picked up 16 yards on four straight rushes. Purdy held in the pocket during a strong pass and hit Kittle deep downfield for a 34 yard touchdown. 49ers 14, Commanders 7.

Washington went 3 and out after only picking up only 4 yards. The 49ers also went three and out. The Commanders defense was aided by an offensive holding penalty on what would have been a first down catch by Kittle. On the next series, head coach Ron Rivera made a curious decision to try to convert a fourth down at Washington’s 34 yard line after picking up 9 yards on the previous three plays. The 49ers made the Commanders pay for that with a 27 yard catch and run for a touchdown by Kittle two plays later. 49ers 21, Commanders 7.

Good Heinicke showed up on the next drive, hitting Dotson for 18 yards and then throwing in double coverage to McLaurin, who somehow caught the ball for a 51 yard gain. Two plays later, Heinicke found McLaurin in the end zone for a 3 yard touchdown. 49ers 21, Commanders 14.

Purdy opened the next drive with a 54 yard completion to Aiyuk to make it first and goal. Washington’s defense stiffened, albeit aided by a false start penalty to force a 26 yard Robbie Gould field goal. 49ers 24, Commanders 14.

Bad Heinicke showed up on the next drive where he was strip-sacked by Bosa and it was recovered out of the air by Jordan Willis. The defense held again aided by a false start penalty. Gould converted the 23 yard field. Robinson picked up 3 yards after the kickoff and then Heinicke threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, but upon review it was deemed the runner, Jimmie Ward, was down by contact. The 49ers had to settle for another Gould field goal, this one from 35 yards. 49ers 30, Commanders 14.

Down by 16 points, Carson Wentz entered the game. His first pass attempt was incomplete but after that he hit six straight completions. The longest was a 21 yard shuttle pass to Jonathan Williams while he was in Nick Bosa‘s grasp. With the ball on the 49ers 20 yard line, Wentz has two incompletions in a row, and then hit a beautiful pass to Samuel for a 20 yard touchdown. Bosa sacked Wentz on the two-point attempt. 49ers 30, Commanders 20.

Joey Slye hit the ball poorly on the subsequent onside kick attempt, which ended up with a penalty against Washington and the 49ers with the ball on the Washington 33 yard line. Tyrion Davis-Price ran it three times for 15 yards and a first down. The 49ers went for it on fourth down after Purdy was sacked by Benjamin St-Juste. Kittle caught a 10 yard pass at the one and McCaffrey scored on the next play. 49ers 37, Commanders 20.

In what was essentially scrimmage time for Wentz to get him ready for the Browns game, the Commanders went on a 7 play drive for 52 yards to end the game.

Final Score: 49ers 37, Commanders 20.

Game Thoughts

Poor coaching decisions throughout the game really impacted the final score. It cost Washington a field goal and three points and gave the 49ers about 13 easy points. A 16 point swing is hard to overcome.

Heinicke should have been pulled after his first turnover; the lucky throw to McLaurin just blinded the coaching staff.

The front office decisions regarding the offensive line have also really hurt the team. Injuries just compounded and highlighted the problems.

The team has some good young pieces on offense but it seems they are often misused.

Darrick Forrest made some good plays including the interception, but Kamren Curl was missed, as Kittle caught 6 balls for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns.