The 49ers (5-7) play their second straight relocated home game at State Farm Stadium against the Washington Football Team (5-7). Kickoff 1:25 PT.
Nick Mullens starts. Alex Smith returns at quarterback for Washington, completing his comeback from the 2018 leg injury. Antonio Gibson and Terry McLaurin lead the offense. Ron Rivera coaches Washington.
Alex Smith starts at quarterback for Washington Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium. The 49ers' first overall pick in 2005, the same Alex Smith whose career was reset by the 2018 broken leg that nearly cost him his lower leg to infection, is back as the WFT's QB1 in the playoff push.
The 49ers are 5-7 and playing a relocated home game for the second straight week. Mullens continues at quarterback. Mostert and Wilson share the backfield. The defense remains gutted.
Underdog by 1.5 against a Washington team that is 5-7 but has the league's top-ranked total defense. The kind of Sunday a 5-7 team has to win to keep the playoff math from collapsing entirely.
Week 14 is the early-December wild-card sort. The 49ers (5-7) need wins to stay alive in the playoff race. Washington (5-7) leads the NFC East. The Seahawks (9-3) lead the NFC West. Around the conference the Saints, Packers, and Buccaneers continue at the top. The Sunday game is the kind of week the loser's season effectively ends and the winner's continues.
Through twelve games the 49ers are 5-7 with a -3 point differential. Washington is 5-7 with a -50. Alex Smith averages 217 passing per game with 4 TDs and 5 INTs in his comeback year. Washington's defense leads the league in total yards allowed (305 per game). 49ers' second relocated home game. Vegas opens Washington as 1.5-point road favorites; total 44.5.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 9-3 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-4 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 6-6 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-12 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-1 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 9-3 | -- |
| Baltimore Ravens | 7-5 | -- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-9-1 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 8-4 | -- |
| Tennessee Titans | 8-4 | -- |
| Houston Texans | 4-8 | -- |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1-11 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 11-1 | -- |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 7-5 | -- |
| Denver Broncos | 4-8 | -- |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 3-9 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 8-4 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-4 | -- |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6-6 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5-7 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 5-7 | -- |
| Washington Football Team | 5-7 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-8-1 | -- |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-9 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 9-3 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-6 | -- |
| Chicago Bears | 5-7 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 5-7 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 10-2 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-5 | -- |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4-8 | -- |
| Carolina Panthers | 4-8 | -- |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jeff Wilson 1 yard rush ( Robbie Gould kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | Dustin Hopkins 51 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Washington | Dustin Hopkins 31 yard field goal | 6-7 |
| Washington | Chase Young 47 yard fumble return ( Dustin Hopkins kick) | 13-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | Dustin Hopkins 21 yard field goal | 16-7 |
| Washington | Kamren Curl 76 yard interception return ( Dustin Hopkins kick) | 23-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Kyle Juszczyk 6 yard pass from Nick Mullens ( Kendrick Bourne pass from Nick Mullens ) | 23-15 |
Alex Smith threw for 162 yards and the Washington Football Team beat the 49ers 23-15 at State Farm Stadium. Antonio Gibson did not play (turf toe). Mullens threw for 270 with two interceptions before being benched in the fourth quarter for C.J. Beathard. Brandon Aiyuk caught 12 passes for 75 yards. The 49ers' defense produced four sacks of Smith. Chase Young had a sack and a forced fumble. The 49ers fell to 5-8 and were eliminated from playoff contention.[1][2][3]
Alex Smith, in the building that the 49ers' relocated home games now lived in, beat his former team. The 49ers lost 23-15 to a Washington team that came in 5-7 and left at 6-7 with a real chance to win the NFC East.
The 49ers were eliminated from playoff contention. Nick Mullens threw two interceptions and was benched in the fourth quarter for C.J. Beathard. Brandon Aiyuk caught 12 passes for 75 yards (his career high in catches). The kind of relocated-home-game Sunday where the 49ers' season ended a week earlier than the playoff math finally said it had to.
Chase Young, the second overall pick in the 2020 draft, had a sack and a forced fumble for Washington's defense. The kind of game that, in real time, played like the funeral the season had been working toward since the Week 2 injury Sunday at MetLife. 5-8. The Cowboys come up on the road next week. The 49ers are now playing for next year.
Washington 23, 49ers 15. Margin: -8. Thirteen-game record: 5-8, -11 differential.
A 23-15 loss to Washington at State Farm Stadium. The 49ers fall to 5-8 and are eliminated from playoff contention.
How it unfolded
Washington opened with a Dustin Hopkins field goal. The 49ers answered with a Robbie Gould field goal. Smith led a touchdown drive in the second quarter. Washington added another field goal to make it 13-3 at halftime. The 49ers cut the lead to 13-9 on a third-quarter Gould field goal. Washington answered with a Smith touchdown to Logan Thomas. The 49ers' final touchdown made it 23-15.
The turning point
Smith's third-quarter touchdown to Logan Thomas. With the 49ers having cut the deficit to 4 and the defense looking like it would keep things competitive, the answering Washington touchdown drive pushed the game back to a two-score deficit.
By the numbers
Mullens 27-of-39 for 270 with two INTs before the bench. Beathard in relief. Alex Smith 23-of-32 for 162 with one TD. Aiyuk 12 catches for 75 (career high). The 49ers' four sacks of Smith. Chase Young's sack and forced fumble for Washington.
Personnel watch
Mullens benched for Beathard in the fourth quarter, the second-straight late-game move by the coaching staff. Aiyuk in his career-high catches game. Mostert worked in limited duty. The defense produced four sacks but still gave up 23 points.
What it means
5-8 and officially eliminated from the playoffs. The Cowboys come up on the road next, then the relocated home game against the Seahawks. The kind of season-ending Sunday that, in retrospect, was decided in the Week 2 MetLife injury Sunday. The 49ers play out the string from here.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Nick Mullens | 25/45 | 260 | 1 | 1 | |
| WAS | |||||
| Alex Smith | 8/19 | 57 | 0 | 1 | |
| Dwayne Haskins | 7/12 | 51 | 0 | 0 | |
| Isaiah Wright | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Raheem Mostert | 14 | 65 | 0 | 14 |
| Jeff Wilson | 11 | 31 | 1 | 11 |
| Deebo Samuel | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| WAS | ||||
| J.D. McKissic | 11 | 68 | 0 | 17 |
| Peyton Barber | 12 | 37 | 0 | 9 |
| Cam Sims | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Dwayne Haskins | 4 | -12 | 0 | -2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Brandon Aiyuk | 10 | 119 | 0 | 19 |
| Kendrick Bourne | 3 | 42 | 0 | 16 |
| Richie James | 3 | 33 | 0 | 16 |
| Ross Dwelley | 2 | 20 | 0 | 14 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 2 | 15 | 1 | 9 |
| Jeff Wilson | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Jordan Reed | 2 | 13 | 0 | 8 |
| Raheem Mostert | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| WAS | ||||
| Logan Thomas | 6 | 43 | 0 | 12 |
| Terry McLaurin | 2 | 24 | 0 | 13 |
| J.D. McKissic | 2 | 18 | 0 | 13 |
| Isaiah Wright | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Cam Sims | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Steven Sims | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Peyton Barber | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2020 W14 - 49ers vs Washington Football Team - Game Thread
