Purdy and the 49ers build a big lead and hold on to beat the Commanders 23-17

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brock Purdy and the offense staked San Francisco to a big lead. The defense made sure the 49ers remained undefeated.

Purdy threw a touchdown pass, Christian McCaffrey ran for two scores and the 49ers made two late stops to hold off the Washington Commanders 23-17 on Monday night for their sixth straight win to open the season.

“You’re not always happy exactly with how some of the stuff was frustrating, but real proud of the guys for just the competitive stamina to keep it going all game,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I was really proud of the defense for finding a way to overcome.”

The Niners followed up an emotional win last week at division-rival Seattle by building a 20-point lead and then escaping at the end when the defense stepped up.

Jayden Daniels threw two touchdown passes in the second half to cut a 20-point deficit to 23-17, but Malik Mustapha broke up a fourth-down pass to Treylon Burks near the goal line with 1:54 to play to preserve the lead.

“I’m just reading the stem of the receiver, and then he broke out, and I was just trying to race to the pylon,” Mustapha said. “Once we got to the catch point, I just wanted to be physical at the point of attack and get that ball out.”

Washington got the ball back at its 46 with 52 seconds remaining and moved down to the 28 before Daniels was called for intentional grounding, giving the Commanders one last play from the 40. Daniels was then sacked by Keion White and Ogbo Okoronkwo before he could throw up a desperation pass.

The Niners extended their best start of a season since winning their first eight games in 2019 on the way to a Super Bowl appearance.

“We dug ourselves in a hole, and it bit us at the end of it,” Daniels said. “We have to be a four-quarter team, not just a half team.”

Purdy started the game fast with a 24-yard strike to Mike Evans on the third play of the game and an 11-yard touchdown to George Kittle to finish that drive. Purdy went 21 of 29 for 264 yards and officially became the highest-rated passer in NFL history as he passed the 1,500-attempt threshold to qualify. His 105.6 rating is ahead of Lamar Jackson's 102.7.

The Commanders were unable to bounce back from last week's tie against the New York Giants, when they mismanaged the clock in overtime to cost them a chance at a game-winning field goal.

The game was one-sided early, with the 49ers scoring touchdowns on the first two drives on Purdy's pass to Kittle and a 1-yard run by McCaffrey.

San Francisco expanded the lead to 20-3 late in the half on McCaffrey's second touchdown run as the Niners gained as many first downs (17) in the first half as the Commanders ran plays.

The 49ers outgained Washington 303 yards to 90 in the half but were held to three first downs and 72 yards after halftime.

“I’m obviously a little upset with how I finish the game,” Purdy said. “But I know that moving forward, every single game matters when it comes down to playoffs and getting in and all the things. So we’ll take this W as a team.”

Washington's best chance at scoring a touchdown in the first half ended when Daniels threw the ball away on fourth-and-2 from the 13.

“San Francisco’s already a tough team and we spent way too much time in the first half battling ourselves,” coach Dan Quinn said. “I’m sick about the ending, but we showed a lot of fight.”

The game featured a matchup of coaches with a history together, after Shanahan working for two years in Atlanta as offensive coordinator for Quinn. That run included a trip to the Super Bowl in the 2016 season when the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead against New England.

This is the second time they've squared off as head coaches since then, with Quinn winning with Atlanta in 2019 while Shanahan won three matchups when Quinn was the defensive coordinator in Dallas.

Shanahan has credited Quinn with teaching him the importance of people skills as a head coach.

Commanders: WR Terry McLaurin exited in the first quarter with a left knee injury that required an air cast before he was taken off the field on a cart. Quinn said the team fears the injury is significant. ... DT Javon Kinlaw (knee) also left in the first half.

49ers: Evans left late in the first half with Achilles tendinitis. He missed practice this week because of soreness in the tendon and broken ribs. Shanahan said Evans won't need additional testing and the injury isn't believed to be long term. ... LB Luke Gifford (groin) and DB Upton Stout (shoulder) also left the game.

Commanders: After a bye, host Philadelphia on Nov. 1.

49ers: Visit Atlanta on Sunday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Washington Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks (13) cannot catch a pass while being defended by San Francisco 49ers safety Malik Mustapha (6) during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Kelley L. Cox)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs (3) scores past San Francisco 49ers cornerback Upton Stout (20) during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Kelley L. Cox)

San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Gracen Halton, middle, celebrates with defensive end Khalid Kareem (47) after sacking Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Kelley L. Cox)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) rolls out to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) celebrates after scoring a touchdown next to guard Dominick Puni (77) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) scrambles while pressured against the Washington Commanders during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

MADRID (AP) — Rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis are fueling an autumn of protests in Europe.

Crowds have protested for weeks in major cities, with some demonstrations marked by arrests, looting, injuries and violence across France, Italy and Albania. In Spain and Portugal, tent camps have sprung up to protest unaffordable housing.

Young Europeans are experiencing “a strong sense of uncertainty and a lack of control,” said María Silvestre, professor of sociology at the University of Deusto in Spain. “And when specific situations come together, a spark suddenly ignites that is capable of channeling that discontent and driving people into the streets.”

Cities have turned into battlefields as top EU economies, including France, Italy and Spain, approach pivotal elections, while far-right parties have made electoral gains in Germany and could do so elsewhere. It also comes as Europe faces a critical moment in its support for Ukraine, with President Donald Trump making overtures to President Vladimir Putin even as Russia is blamed for increasingly frequent arson attacks, cyberattacks and other acts of sabotage in NATO countries.

Right-wing politicians have seized on the chaos. While protests in France have appeared broad-based, Trump portrayed immigrants as responsible for the destruction, writing Monday on his Truth Social platform: “The migrants have taken over France. They must CLOSE THE BORDERS, FAST!”

Many of the protests have been fueled by frustrated young people. Other actors, including black-clad, masked agitators, have fomented violence, but French authorities and police have not blamed immigrants.

Here's a look at what's driving the unrest:

In France, which has a centuries-old tradition of popular protest, high schoolers have staged blockades and demonstrations for more than three weeks, demanding more resources for schools they describe as understaffed and dilapidated, especially in lower-income neighborhoods.

The protests broadened as France's CGT labor union and other activists joined in while students paused for a fall break. The movement now includes demands over rising living costs and public services.

Despite hundreds of thousands of people marching peacefully, the weekend’s unrest led to 2,400 arrests and serious disturbances in parts of France, including looting in Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux. In Limoges, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall and nearly destroyed the building. Some schools were set on fire. As students and rioters threw firebombs and law enforcement responded with tear gas, hundreds have been injured.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Saturday’s violence, accusing far-left activists of trying to foment chaos by attacking buildings and police.

“Those who looted will have to pay for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable,” Macron said Sunday in a rare televised address.

In Spain, elementary and secondary schoolteachers began an indefinite strike in Madrid last week to demand better pay and working conditions. Discontented teachers staged similar walkouts elsewhere in Spain this year.

In Madrid's central Puerta del Sol, tarpaulin tents have blanketed the square for weeks to protest rising housing costs, sparked by the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who later died while hospitalized. Smaller protest camps followed in other Spanish cities.

The public pressure led the ruling Socialist government to approve affordable housing measures, but they lacked support in Parliament, leading Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call for an early election in November. A general strike also was called for November — the first in 14 years.

Similar housing protests have sprung up in Portugal’s largest cities, Lisbon and Porto, and in Barcelona, a focal point of Spain's overtourism and housing challenges.

Spain's minimum wage is 1,221 euros ($1,370), while the average monthly rent for an 80-square-meter apartment is around 1,130 euros (about $1,270), according to an analysis by the business newspaper Expansión.

“Most of my paycheck goes to the rent. My roommate struggles to make ends meet just like I do,” said Diana Manzanares, a 20-year-old waitress at the Madrid encampment. “This is my reality and the reality of most of us living in this city.”

“Italia in Piazza,” or Italy in the Streets, has galvanized thousands of demonstrators, voicing demands for better employment, healthcare, education, and access to housing, as well as higher wages. Inflation in Italy rose to 4.2% in September, surpassing the eurozone’s 3.8%, according to government data.

The peaceful marches were followed by violent riots in Turin and Bologna, and in Italy's finance and fashion capital of Milan, where masked rioters clashed with police, looted stores and set property on fire. Milan police said 271 people were arrested — most of them minors — and 14 security officers were injured during two days of unrest.

Now a newly formed group calling itself the “Oct. 17 Movement” has announced what it describes as a “permanent mobilization” to demonstrate every Saturday at 3 p.m. in cities across Italy.

Anti-government protests have stretched over a week in Albania's capital of Tirana, with clashes escalating after high school and university students joined the broad anti-government “Flamingo” movement calling for Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.

Rama has condemned the protesters as “ideologized and radicalized” by antifa, an umbrella term for loosely organized far-left militants. President Donald Trump has designated the movement a terrorist organization in the United States.

Ending corruption is a major demand of the movement, which was named for the natural habitat of flamingos in an area where Rama's government agreed to allow a major luxury tourism development linked to Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. They also want protections for healthcare, education, and public pensions, according to its website.

In Serbia, the university students leading mass anti-corruption protests for nearly two years are challenging an attempted return to power by the Balkan country’s former populist leader Aleksandar Vucic in parliamentary elections.

The former authoritarian president is aiming to be named prime minister after the Oct. 25 vote. The youth-backed Students’ List party is believed to be running close to Vucic’s party, making the outcome uncertain and fueling fears of possible violence.

A protester holds a French flag at Republic Square during a demonstration against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Police confront "Italia in Piazza" protesters in Milan, Italy, on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (Stefano Porta/LaPresse via AP)

Protesters gather during clashes at an anti-government demonstration in Tirana, Albania, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)

A man sets up a roof cover at a makeshift camp set up by protesters demanding stronger laws to protect renters in Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Protesters march during a demonstration against rising living costs, joining students' grievances, in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A protester wraps a French flag around them in front of the burning tourism office during a demonstration against rising living costs and in solidarity with students’ grievances in Lyon, France, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)