3 Takeaways from 49ers' Week 17 Win vs. Commanders

The San Francisco 49ers got humbled last Monday by the Baltimore Ravens. They came into Week 17 looking for an opportunity to bounce back against the 4-11 Washington Commanders.

It was dicey for the 49ers early, possibly because of the difficult cross-country trip, and San Francisco carried a mere three-point lead into halftime. However, the offense surged in the second half, and the 49ers emerged with a convincing 27-10 victory.

The win gives the 49ers the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. It also makes next week's finale against the Los Angeles Rams meaningless.

This was a game that San Francisco was expected to win, but that doesn't mean we can't learn something from it. Here are our biggest takeaways from the 49ers' Week 17 win over the Commanders.

This was a huge game for the 49ers, and not simply because it gave them the bye.

Last week, San Francisco got outplayed in virtually every phase by the Ravens. Quarterback Brock Purdy tossed four interceptions, and the 49ers defense had no answers for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens multi-faceted attack.

The 49ers desperately needed to regain some momentum ahead of the playoffs, and with next week's game now meaning nothing, this was their last opportunity. A close win would have been disastrous from a morale standpoint.

While Sunday's win was far from flawless, San Francisco did enough defensively in the second half and got enough big plays from Purdy, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk to feel better about where it is heading into the postseason.

Granted, the Commanders aren't a playoff-caliber opponent, and Sam Howell isn't even close to Jackson's tier. However, a 17-point road victory will still leave a better taste in the mouths of San Francisco's starters than what they experienced last Monday.

Star running back Christian McCaffrey went over 2,000 scrimmage yards on Sunday, which is a testament to his ability and his durability in 2023.

However, McCaffrey also exited with a calf injury and was replaced by backup Elijah Mitchell. The good news is that the injury doesn't appear to be serious.

"We think he'll be all right," head coach Kyle Shanahan said, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. "I don't know if he would've been able to go next week or not, but we'll have to find out more (Monday). He was moving around all right on the sidelines, so hoping it's not too bad."

However, it's a stark reminder that San Francisco could lose one of its integral pieces on any given play—and we saw during the 49ers' early-season three-game skid without Samuel what that can mean.

Fortunately, Mitchell did a fantastic job in McCaffrey's stead. He finished with 80 rushing yards and a touchdown while averaging a solid 4.7 yards per carry.

Ideally, the 49ers will be able to lean on McCaffrey again in the postseason. Knowing that Mitchell can be a reliable Plan B, however, should give San Francisco even more confidence before the playoffs.

Earning the first-round bye in Week 17 is important for San Francisco because it means they'll have roughly three weeks to get healthy and prepare.

Injuries like McCaffrey's are one reason why earning the bye now is valuable. San Francisco also has issues it needs to shore up.

Sunday's game might have been convincing, but it wasn't clean. The defense made things too easy for Washington in the first half (131 yards, 3-of-5 on 3rd downs), and it was once again inconsistent against the run (4.4 yards per carry allowed). The offense had some concerning red-zone struggles.

On the day, the 49ers converted only three of their six red-zone trips into touchdowns.

With the disaster that was the Ravens loss also factored in, it's hard to view the 49ers the same way we did during their six-game winning streak in November and early December.

The 49ers need to tighten things up if they hope to go on a lengthy playoff run, and the extra time off will afford them the time needed to refocus.