Unbeaten 49ers host a Commanders team still stinging from its clock-mishap tie on Monday night

One team is trying not to get too high. The other is trying to climb out of a low.

The San Francisco 49ers (5-0) host the Washington Commanders (1-3-1) on Monday night at Levi's Stadium. Kickoff is 7:15 p.m. Central on ESPN and ABC.

A tie that felt like a loss

Washington had the ball at the New York Giants' 24-yard line with 50 seconds left in overtime last week and no timeouts. The Commanders did not snap the ball again until 12 seconds remained. Jayden Daniels scrambled and was tackled with nine seconds left and the clock ran out before Washington could try a game-winning field goal. The game ended 27-27.

"Feels like a loss," coach Dan Quinn said afterward. Receiver Terry McLaurin called it "unacceptable."

Quinn took responsibility for the sequence and spent the week making sure it would not linger.

"Although the adversity's been difficult, this team's connected, they are tough and you get a chance to show that resilience, not just talk about it," Quinn said.

Running back Austin Ekeler put it simply. "It's easy to come in and mope around, but we can't do that because we still have a goal in front of us."

The 49ers stay grounded

San Francisco is 5-0 for the third time under coach Kyle Shanahan after a 32-29 win at Seattle. The last two times, in 2019 and 2023, the 49ers reached the Super Bowl.

Christian McCaffrey remembers what happened after that 2023 start.

"We've been 5-0 and then went into the bye 5-3, so we're more worried about continuing to get better every day," he said.

Brock Purdy is five attempts from qualifying for the NFL's all-time passer rating list. His 105.4 rating would put him first, ahead of Lamar Jackson's 102.7. Cornerback Renardo Green had two interceptions last week. Defensive end Nick Bosa is out with a calf injury.

The matchup to watch

Daniels ran for 103 yards against the Giants and became the first quarterback with two touchdown runs of 25 yards or more in the same game since Michael Vick in 2002. San Francisco has allowed just 33 rushing yards to quarterbacks this season, the second fewest in the league.

Washington has a plus-5 turnover margin, tied for second in the NFL. But it has allowed a league-worst 95 second-half points. Opponents have scored touchdowns on 83.3% of their red zone trips against Washington, also the worst mark in the league. The 49ers lead the NFL by finishing 87.5% of their red zone drives with touchdowns.

History is not on the visitors' side either. Washington is one of seven teams that have never won at Levi's Stadium since it opened in 2014. San Francisco leads the all-time series 23-12-1 and won the last meeting 27-10 on Dec. 31, 2023.