The 49ers first drive of the second quarter stalls out after a couple big plays by Frank Gore. Alex Smith is forced to throw the ball away and David Akers comes out to kick a field goal. The 52-yard field goal is good and the 49ers take a 3-0 lead. Washington takes the field and Roy Helu has another big gain, this one of 11 yards. But a short gain and an incompletion later, and they're faced with a 3rd and 7. John Beck finds Jabar Gaffney though, on the right side all alone, and they pick up the first down.
On a third down, the Redskins pick up the first down, but there's two fouls on the play. Ahmad Brooks is called for offsides, but Trent Williams is called for unnecessary roughness, which is a fifteen yard penalty and supersedes the offsides call, so the Redskins have an even longer third down, can't pick up the yardage they need, and were forced to punt.
Michael Crabtree gets a first down completion over the middle, and then Frank Gore changes direction on a toss and picks up a first down, too. Unfortunately, the drive once again stalls out and a third down incompletion to Vernon Davis forces them to punt. Andy Lee, team MVP, puts it near the ten-yard line, though.
If you blinked, you missed John Beck getting two yards, an explosion of cheers from the crowd for that two-yard gain, and the Redskins being forced to punt. Alex Smith gets a nine-yard run and then Frank Gore explodes for a 27-yard gain after a big block from Michael Crabtree. Kendall Hunter gets close to the first down, setting them up with a 2nd and 2, and then they end up with a 3rd-and-1. Alex Smith rolls out but throws the ball away and the 49ers call a timeout to consider their options on fourth down.
They elect to go for it, but they're called for a false start, so David Akers comes out for the field goal. It's good from 34 yards and the 49ers take at 6-0 lead. The false start shouldn't have been called, because Justin Peelle was an eligible receiver on the play and was allowed to move.
The Redskins take the field, but Patrick Willis forces a fumble on Roy Helu and Donte Whitner recovers. On the first play of having the ball back, fullback Bruce Miller catches a 30-yard touchdown pass, the first of his career. After an extra point, the 49ers lead 13-0.
Washington gets a first down with a 14-yard completion to Gaffney to get things started. They did stall out though, and started running out of time, so Graham Gano attempts a 59-yard field goal. Surprisingly, it's good, and the 49ers lead is cut to 13-3.