One big half against Commanders keeps Niners unbeaten

It was a tale of two halves, and fortunately for the San Francisco 49ers, their better half was enough to overcome their less successful one.

So in what some would call a typically unpredictable NFL game, the 49ers survived the Washington Commanders, 23-17, Monday night at Levi Stadium. So after a few deep breaths and some timely defensive plays, the Niners remained unbeaten after six games.

It was an afternoon and evening of celebration as greats from the past, including Joe Montana and Steve Young, were honored in a raucous display of appreciation. 

And the joy continued as if scripted until halftime, when San Francisco constructed a 20-3 lead.  But then the Niners looked as if they were ready to take a nap. What they took was a reminder that any pro football game can change as quickly as the weather in the Bay Area.

Not until defensive back Malik Mustapha batted away a fourth-down pass by Commanders’ quarterback Jayden Daniels with 1:54 remaining was this one decided. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan reacted to the play with a gleeful slap of his hands. 

While he was thrilled with the offense early on, and of course the result, the coach seemed a little unnerved by the way things went, with San Francisco failing even to make a 1st down on its last three times it had the ball. 

“It was a frustrating end, three-and-out,” said Shanahan about the offensive plays in the final quarter. “I’m proud of the guys for their competitive stand.”

The Niners were enmeshed in a series of penalties that cost them a chance to pull away, but the unappreciated and much-needed defense “persevered,” said Shanahan.

True, San Francisco never trailed. Moving out quickly on passes by Brock Purdy and receptions and runs by Christian McCaffrey.

As most of us are aware, momentum changes all too quickly, and there were the Niners hanging on against a team that came in with a 1-3-1 record.

As seems normal for the Niners, injuries were prevalent. Receiver Mike Evans, playing with broken ribs, left the game after three receptions. San Francisco also was without defensive lineman Dre Grenlaw, who had been suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct the previous week.

Good teams overcome these difficulties, and no question the Niners are a good team.

How good? We won’t know for a while, but what we will know is how they’ll play against the Falcons this coming Sunday in Atlanta.

The kickoff will be at 1 pm EST, which of course is 10 am in California. Occasionally, West-to-East travel trips up teams based on the West Coast when they play in places like Georgia.

Yet, neither time zones nor zone defenses will shut down a quality team, and you assume that’s what the Niners are.