Our Seahawks took another gut punch on Thursday, falling to the Denver Broncos, and now the San Francisco 49ers are staring down a massive opportunity on Monday Night Football against the Washington Commanders. This isn’t just another primetime game; the results from Sunday, especially the Los Angeles Rams losing to the Arizona Cardinals, have created a chance for the Niners to really blow up the early NFC West standings. If they beat the Commanders, they’ll snag a three-game lead in the division, and honestly, with tiebreakers, it’s even more than that. This comes just a week after the 49ers beat our Hawks in a super violent game. Rough.
The Stakes Just Went Through The Roof For Our Division
Seriously, after our loss to Denver on Thursday, and then seeing the Rams drop one, the path for the 49ers is wide open. They can go to a dominant 6-0 record to kick off the season. We saw firsthand how good they can be last week when they took down the Seahawks. That game was a brutal, violent affair, but Brock Purdy put together an impressive second-to-last offensive drive, scoring a touchdown even with intentional grounding calls and other penalties trying to stunt them. The dude just kept humming, and that offense looks efficient despite dealing with injuries. This Monday Night showdown on ESPN, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call, isn’t just about the 49ers extending their own streak; it’s about them building a monstrous lead that will be tough for anyone in the NFC West to overcome.
Don’t Call It A Trap Game, But…
Now, the 49ers have been favored by over a touchdown all week, and they’ve exceeded expectations so far, putting a target on their backs. But you know how these things go. The Commanders, sitting at 1-3-1, just had a wild tie against the New York Giants. And if you’re a long-time fan, you remember when the 49ers tied with the then-St. Louis Rams; it’s a feeling you don’t forget. What’s crazy about the Commanders’ tie is they could’ve easily avoided it. Horrible clock management, out of timeouts, running it on second down, and failing to get the spike off from the 25-yard line before the clock hit zero. That’s just rough. This kind of blunder has some people looking at head coach Dan Quinn and wondering about the future. However, the NFC East has been underperforming, so that 1-3-1 record still has Washington “in the thick of it,” giving them plenty of motivation to play spoiler against the Niners. The 49ers aren’t completely healthy either; they’ll be without Wide receiver Deebo Samuel (hamstring), defensive end Nick Bosa (calf), safety Marques Sigle (ankle), and linebacker Garret Wallow (hamstring). Fullback Kyle Juszczyk is returning early, which is good for them, but still, those are some big names out. Even with the injuries, Purdy just needs five pass attempts tonight to make the all-time list, and it’s a safe bet he’ll enter that list with the highest career passer rating in NFL history.
So, yeah, it’s not our game, but the stakes for our Seahawks and the entire NFC West couldn’t be higher. We’ll be watching Monday Night Football with gritted teeth, because while it’s not our game, it sure feels like it could shape our early season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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