The San Francisco 49ers kept themselves in the playoff hunt with a 17-13 victory over the Washington Redskins in their NFL clash at Levi's Stadium.
The 49ers got on the scoreboard on their first drive of the game as Colin Kaepernick fired deep to find Anquan Boldin, and the receiver managed to beat the coverage of the defense for a 30-yard touchdown.
San Francisco tried to extend their advantage but running back Carlos Hyde fumbled the ball at midfield to quell their attacking momentum. The Redskins were also struggling on the offensive side of the ball as the second quarter neared its conclusion.
The visitors managed to get on the board before the break when Alfred Morris powered into the endzone from one yard out to level the scores.
However, Kaepernick led his side immediately downfield, allowing Phil Dawson to kick a 41-yard field goal before time expired to put the 49ers back in front.
Both sides struggled in the third quarter as neither offense looked capable of scoring due to poor execution on the field.
The Redskins pulled themselves level late in the third quarter when Robert Griffin III fired a deep pass to DeSean Jackson, and although they failed to reach the endzone, Kai Forbath was on hand to fire a 27-yard field goal through the posts.
Jim Harbaugh's side finally got themselves into gear late in the fourth quarter when Kaepernick fired to Boldin to put the home team on the goal line. Hyde then finished off the score as he plowed into the endzone.
The visitors had one final chance to drive downfield and try to snatch the game, but Ahmad Brooks sacked Griffin and Justin Smith gathered the ball to secure the victory for his side.
Simon Sinclair
