49ers hold off furious Commanders' second-half rally to go 6-0 - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For about 30 minutes Monday night, the San Francisco 49ers looked poised to roll to their sixth consecutive victory against the Washington Commanders.

Then, wide receiver Mike Evans, attempting to play through a sore right Achilles, went down after a 16-yard catch. When he finally got back up moments later, he hobbled to the locker room and did not return.

Upon his departure, he took San Francisco's momentum with him. That left the Niners doing something they haven't had to do much of this season: scrambling to pull out a late victory.

Washington battled back from a 20-point deficit in a second half that almost flipped the script. Costly 49ers penalties paired with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels' second-half rhythm, allowed Washington to come to within inches of taking a late lead and the upset.

Instead, safety Malik Mustapha's fourth-down pass breakup at the goal line paired with a clinching sack by Romello Height and Keion White spurred the Niners to a 23-17 win.

Though the Niners escaped with a win, the question now centers on Evans' health. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that Evans' Achilles injury is the same thing (soreness) he dealt with all week. Shanahan said he didn't think Evans would need further testing or imaging.

The 49ers are already without wideouts Ricky Pearsall (knee), De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle), Demarcus Robinson (ankle), Deebo Samuel Sr. (hamstring) and Christian Kirk (calf), leaving quarterback Brock Purdy to throw to a patchwork group of receivers that includes Brandin Cooks, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing. 49ers WRs not named Evans had two catches for 35 yards.

Although Kirk and Robinson are close to returning, the Niners might need to consider