Terry McLaurin was carted off the field with an apparent left knee injury during the first half, a setback for the Washington Commanders as they fell 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. The injury occurred without contact, prompting teammates and opposing players to take a knee as the wide receiver exited Levi's Stadium. The loss leaves the Commanders with a 1-5 record, placing them at the bottom of the NFC. Washington had built a 20-3 halftime deficit after Brock Purdy threw a touchdown pass to George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey scored on two runs. McLaurin had spoken to the ESPN broadcast crew before kickoff about leading the team through its struggles, stating, "I've just been telling our guys we're going through the fire right now. You want to get to something, you gotta go through it. You can't go around it." He entered the game leading Washington with 14 receptions for 203 yards and a touchdown. Since entering the league in 2019, the two-time Pro Bowler has recorded five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2020 to 2024, though injuries limited him to 10 games in the 2025 campaign. The Commanders are dealing with ongoing roster issues, including the season-ending triceps injury to offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil. San Francisco also suffered an injury, as wide receiver Mike Evans left the game with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter. Evans finished with three receptions for 94 yards before heading to the locker room after a 16-yard catch. Jayden Daniels attempted to salvage the game without McLaurin, throwing second-half touchdown passes to Stefon Diggs and Rachaad White to reduce the deficit to 23-17. The 49ers' defense held firm on Washington's final possession to secure the victory.