Commanders’ Week 6 grades reflect second-half rally in loss to 49ers

The Washington Commanders lost 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Monday, October 19, after a second-half rally fell short. Postgame assessments by Hogs Haven and CBS Sports credited Washington’s improvement after halftime, while identifying first-half problems and late mistakes that shaped the result.

How the Commanders were graded

In its Commanders report card, Hogs Haven gave Washington’s passing offense and special teams a B, its rushing and passing defense a C, its rushing offense a D and its coaching an F. Those grades are the outlet’s editorial judgments of separate parts of the game.

Washington’s offense improved after halftime

Hogs Haven reported that Washington running backs carried 13 times for 43 yards, an average of 3.3 yards per carry, and received just two first-half handoffs. Its low rushing grade reflected both the production and what it saw as insufficient commitment to the run.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 29 of 40 passes for 300 yards, according to Hogs Haven, which said the passing attack improved as the game went on. CBS Sports reported that 212 of those 300 yards came in the second half, after Washington lost receiver Terry McLaurin to injury in the first.

CBS Sports also singled out a fourth-down play on which Daniels threw the ball away while coach Dan Quinn thought it was third down. The outlet linked that mistake to a clock-management error against the Giants the previous week, tempering its assessment of Daniels’ second-half passing performance.

Why the 49ers’ offense slowed

Hogs Haven said Washington allowed 20 points before halftime and three afterward. It credited K’Lavon Chaisson with forcing a Christian McCaffrey fumble that Frankie Luvu recovered, while noting that McCaffrey had scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half.

Both assessments described a change in San Francisco’s passing game after Evans was injured. Hogs Haven also pointed to increased Washington blitzing; CBS Sports reported that the 49ers gained 291 yards before Evans left in the second quarter and 84 afterward. Their accounts attribute the drop in production to more than one part of the game, without establishing a single cause.