It’s week 6 of the NFL season and the 1-3-1 Washington Commanders will be facing a 5-0 San Francisco 49ers team on the road at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA this coming Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET. The 49ers, Vikings, and Chiefs are the only undefeated teams in the NFL through 5 weeks. Of those unbeaten teams, the 49ers have probably had the most difficult schedule, having played the Seahawks, Rams, and Broncos. It seems like people discounted the 49ers in the offseason due to how gutted by injury their roster has been the last few years, but they are reminding people this year that they are one of the best-coached and most-talented rosters in the NFL.
On offense, the 49ers are coached by HC Kyle Shanahan and OC Klay Kubiak, with Shanahan calling the plays. Washington fans don’t need an introduction to Kyle Shanahan, but his offense relies heavily on pre-snap motion, an outside-zone run game, and a high rate of play action. It also relies heavily on versatile players, including TEs and WRs who are able and willing to block downfield. The 49ers offense ranks near the top of the league in explosive play rate (3rd in the NFL, 1st in the NFC) largely by chaining small, well-executed plays together with the occasional unexpected big play to avoid third-and-long situations and leave all options on the table on every down. On the field, the 49ers are led by QB Brock Purdy, who only needs 5 more passes to qualify for the highest career passer rating of any QB in NFL history (we can look forward to the booth pointing out that fact during the game). In addition to Purdy, the 49ers have All-Pro players in TE George Kittle, RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Mike Evans, LT Trent Williams, and FB Kyle Juszczyk. The result has been an offense that is 7th-highest in yards and 3rd-highest in points scored this season.
On defense, the 49ers have been led by DC Raheem Morris, former DC of the Rams (2021-2023) and HC of the Falcons (2024-2025). Morris has reportedly simplified the playbook on defense, leading to quicker reactions and more confidence in his defensive players. The 49ers like to run multiple fronts, with a mix of 3-, 4-, and 5-man fronts and mostly zone coverage. The 49ers defense is anchored by 1st-team All Pro players EDGE Nick Bosa and LB Fred Warner, each one of the best at their position. The result has been the NFL’s 10th-best defense against the run and 10th-best defense against the pass in terms of yards allowed, but most importantly giving the 4th-fewest overall points allowed. Overall, the 49ers are fielding one of the NFL’s best units on offense and defense this year, though they will be suffering somewhat from the suspension of LB Dre Greenlaw.
I asked Jason Aponte of Niners Nation five questions about the state of the 49ers and what to look for in this game.
1) There has been some controversy about how well the 49ers have been drafting. What do you think about the 49ers in the draft and how have your young players been looking in games?
While the 49ers have had issues turning their first-round picks into immediate, impact players, Mykel Williams is still very young and looked impressive in his first action on Sunday. De’Zhaun Stribling was the toast of the town until his unfortunate injury, but the 49ers still view him as a big piece of the offense moving forward. This latest draft class has seen huge contributions from DT Gracen Halton, LB Jaden Dugger, and RB Kaelon Black. Meanwhile, Marques Sigle was coming into his own at safety before his injury. CB Renardo Green is increasingly looking like a star, and CB Deommodore Lenoir is homegrown as well. The offensive line includes three 49ers draft picks: Dominick Puni, Colton McKivitz, and Connor Colby. I’d say the idea of the 49ers drafting poorly is far more dramatic than reality. Let’s not forget hitting on Brock Purdy.
2) Washington fans are very familiar with LT Trent Williams, but tell us about the rest of the 49ers offensive line and how they’ve been performing this season?
The offensive line has been one of the bigger surprises in 2026. Williams is as stellar as ever after delivering a clean sheet against Seattle’s defensive line. RG Puni and RT McKivitz have been excellent, and C Jake Brendel is enjoying his best season at center through five weeks. LG Colby did struggle on Sunday against Seattle, but Byron Murphy tends to do that to anyone. All in all, the 49ers offensive line moved Seattle off the line on their final drive, which gave the 49ers the lead and the win by running the football inside with duo runs. That, in itself, is a huge statement.
Niners right tackle Colton McKivitz (68), who started every game the past two seasons, is eager to see what his talents are worth next year when he can become a free agent. Kirk Irwin/Associated Press
3) Washington’s GM Adam Peters came from the 49ers. What can you tell us about him?
Adam Peters’ time with the 49ers is hard to nail down. On the one hand, there was a narrative out there that every late-round gem unearthed by the 49ers was Peters’ doing, but nobody knows that for certain. On the other hand, the number of 49ers players who didn’t work out and became Commanders could be a signal of how much Peters was involved, I.E., Javon Kinlaw. There is no doubt someone was working the PR machine for Peters, because the narrative became that every successful draft pick was Peters doing and every unsuccessful pick was John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s fault. Nobody knows for sure, but for some reason, that is how he was remembered, and I feel like the reputation wasn’t warranted.
4) Who is one 49ers player on offense and one player on defense that Washington fans probably don’t know much about, but should?
One player Washington should know about is running back Kaelon Black from Indiana. Christian McCaffrey is the star of the show, but given the injuries to the wide receiver room, I can see Shanahan playing a run-first, close-to-the-vest type of game to get a victory on Monday night. If the 49ers get to 30 carries, they will most likely win, and Black would be in line for 10-15 opportunities. Black feeds on rhythm and needs more touches to get going, but if the 49ers get to the magic 30-carry number, Black will likely be a big part of that and could help put Washington on ice.
Through the first five games of the 2026 NFL regular season, Kaelon Black has recorded 141 total scrimmage yards on 38 touches while operating as a change-of-pace backup to Christian McCaffrey. He is averaging 3.68 yards per carry with no touchdowns yet in his career. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
5) How should Washington go about gameplanning this matchup on both sides of the ball?
A proper game plan for Washington on offense would be ball and clock control. Jayden Daniels did significant damage on the ground against the Giants, and his mobility will be a pain to contain, but keeping long drives alive while keeping the 49ers offense on the sideline could tip the scales in this game. Punctuating those drives with touchdowns puts pressure on the 49ers offense, especially with limited time with the ball. Defensively, choking off the run game would be ideal, but with the way Brock Purdy is playing, it may not matter. Forcing Purdy to drop back a ton isn’t as solid a plan as it sounds, but making any offense one-dimensional is the best idea. You can force the 49ers to throw the ball more, but leaning on McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and George Kittle isn’t some sort of death sentence.
A companion article to this with my answers to Jason’s questions is linked here.
Thanks again to Jason Aponte for taking time out of his day to answer our questions about the 49ers.
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