Before they could lock up the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC playoff picture, the San Francisco 49ers had to go through the Washington Commanders in Week 17.
Despite a slow start that saw the Commanders trail by only three points at halftime, the 49ers were able to open things up in the second half to cruise to a double-digit victory.
With a pair of touchdowns in the second half, the 49ers rolled to a bounce-back win over the Commanders 27-10. Along with recording their 12th victory of the campaign on New Year’s Eve, the 49ers will head into 2024 with the No. 1 seed in the NFC locked up.
Following the 49ers’ win over the Commanders, here’s a look at some of the good and bad from Sunday’s contest in the capital.
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Good: The Arizona Cardinals
Despite their ugly loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, the San Francisco 49ers still had a chance at a first-round bye in the playoffs and the NFC’s No. 1 seed. However, they would need a little bit of help.
On Sunday, the division rival Arizona Cardinals answered the bell for the 49ers. Following the 49ers win over the Commanders in Washington, attention shifted to the Philadelphia Eagles’ contest against the Cardinals.
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals secured an upset win on the road in Philadelphia to eliminate the Eagles’ chances at the No. 1 seed and lock things up for the 49ers.
With one week to go in the regular season, the 49ers will open the playoffs with a bye week.
Good: Brock Purdy
With a four-interception performance against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, Brock Purdy was arguably coming off his worst performance as a professional quarterback.
While that loss could’ve defined the latter half of Purdy’s season, the second-year passer bounced back on Sunday in Washington. Purdy steadily tossed a pair of touchdowns on 22-of-28 passing for 230 yards through the air. Purdy recorded a 124.7 passer rating against the Commanders on Sunday.
Along with getting back on track, Purdy recorded multiple milestones against the Commanders. Purdy’s early touchdown to Deebo Samuel marked his 30th passing score of the season. Purdy also passed Jeff Garcia for the franchise’s most passing yards in a single season at 4,279 yards.
Bad: Christian McCaffrey
As the 49ers wrapped things up in the fourth quarter against the Commanders, Christian McCaffrey remained on the sideline on Sunday. The 49ers’ star running back exited the game in the third quarter and did not return. McCaffrey was later listed with a calf injury.
Prior to leaving the game, McCaffrey carried the ball 14 times for 64 yards. McCaffrey tacked on four catches for 27 yards in a shortened performance against the Commanders.
While McCaffrey’s injury designation isn’t ideal, the 49ers will now have two weeks to get him ready for the postseason. With a meaningless final regular-season game next week against the Los Angeles Rams followed by a bye week in the first round of the postseason, the 49ers will have the ability to be cautious with McCaffrey.
Good: Elijah Mitchell
While McCaffrey’s injury isn’t ideal, 49ers’ backup runner Elijah Mitchell popped off with an increased workload down the stretch against the Commanders.
After a quiet season with a mix of injuries, Elijah Mitchell broke out against the Commanders in the second half on Sunday. Mitchell carried the ball 17 times for 80 yards. Mitchell also punched in his first touchdown of the season on a two-yard run in the third quarter.
With the 49ers being cautious with McCaffrey’s injury, Mitchell provided a much-needed level of cover to the 49ers’ running game.
