Brock Purdy sets NFL passer rating record as 49ers edge Commanders 23-17
Brock Purdy became the highest-rated passer in NFL history as the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Washington Commanders 23-17 on Monday night in an NFL game, moving San Francisco to 6-0.
The 49ers built a 20-point cushion and survived two late defensive stops to hold off Washington after following an emotional win at division rival Seattle the previous week. Purdy threw a touchdown pass and Christian McCaffrey ran for two scores as San Francisco established a sizeable lead before the Commanders rallied in the second half.
Purdy completed 21 of 29 passes for 264 yards and, after surpassing the 1,500-attempt threshold required to qualify, officially became the highest-rated quarterback in NFL history with a 105.6 rating, ahead of Lamar Jackson’s 102.7. "[The defense] did it for us all game, I’m proud of those guys ... our defense balled," Purdy said after the game.
San Francisco opened quickly when Purdy connected on a 24-yard pass to Mike Evans on the third play, and an 11-yard touchdown to George Kittle finished that drive; Evans later left the game with an achilles injury. The Niners scored touchdowns on their first two possessions via Purdy’s pass to Kittle and a one-yard run by McCaffrey.
McCaffrey’s second touchdown run pushed the lead to 20-3 late in the first half, and San Francisco gained 17 first downs in the opening half — the same number as Washington ran plays. The early control of the game gave the Niners a buffer that Washington would struggle to erase.
Jayden Daniels threw two touchdown passes in the second half to reduce the deficit to 23-17, but Washington could not complete the comeback. Malik Mustapha broke up a fourth-down pass to Treylon Burks near the goal line with 1:54 remaining to preserve the lead, and on Washington’s final possession Daniels was penalised for intentional grounding after the drive reached the 28-yard line.
Washington received the ball at its own 46 with 52 seconds to play and advanced to the 28 before the intentional grounding call left them one last play from the 40; Daniels was then sacked by Keion White and Ogbo Okoronkwo before he could attempt a desperation throw. The Commanders remain 1-4-1 after failing to recover from last week’s tie with the New York Giants, when a mismanaged overtime clock cost them a chance at a game-winning field goal.
San Francisco extended their best start to a season since opening 8-0 in 2019. That 2019 start culminated in a Super Bowl appearance.