The Washington Redskins got off to a decent start offensively, at least as far as the individual plays were concerned. Running back Roy Helu had the longest gain of any running back playing the 49ers this season, a 16-yard play. But the 49ers quickly forced a three-and-out, and the tone of the game was established. Three and outs were a staple of the game, but in the end, the strong 49ers defense and field position gave the offense enough tries to put on the points, enough to give San Francisco a 19-11 win.
David Akers had four field goals on the day, one of them from 52 yards back. San Francisco struggled early on offensively, not converting a third down until their seventh try, when Alex Smith hit Ted Ginn Jr. for a 14-yard completion. Smith ultimately had a good game though, and it would have been better if not for a couple drops, namely from running back Frank Gore and tight end Vernon Davis. Smith had just one touchdown in the game, a 30-yard completion to rookie fullback Bruce Miller in the second quarter that really sucked the wind out of the Redskins.
It was Miller's first touchdown of his career, and a video can be found here.
The Redskins offense was much, much worse than it might appear after the game. San Francisco allowed a touchdown with under two minutes left, giving Washington their best drive of the game. They only rushed three players on each play and let Helu set a franchise record for receptions by a running back. John Beck went 9-for-10 on that late drive, plus a two-point conversion.
But it wasn't enough, the Redskins played most of the game with all kinds of offensive issues. Helu was essentially the only bright spark, as Beck was dinked and dunked his way into punting situations with regularity. Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan had good games for the Washington defense, stopping the 49ers enough times to the point where a good offense might have been able to keep the game close.
Frank Gore had over 100 yards rushing for the fifth consecutive game, becoming the only player in 49ers franchise history to do so. Gore had 107 yards on 19 carries. Alex Smith finished the game 17-for-24 for 197 yards and a touchdown against no interceptions. Helu finished with just 41 yards rushing, but had 105 yards receiving, though a lot of them came on that final drive.