Washington opened up the week as huge favorites over visiting San Francisco - by as many as 11 points and as little as nine points. The number represents the second-largest underdog status of the season by the 49ers. They were 14-point underdogs to the Seattle Seahawks leading up to Week 2. The over/under for Sunday's game is listed at 46.5 points.
Sunday will be a homecoming for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Washington's offensive coordinator from 2010 through 2013. Washington's head coach at the time was Shanahan's father, Mike. It will also be a return for 49ers wide receiver Pierre Garçon, who played in Washington from 2012 through 2016.
The 49ers do currently hold a four-game winning streak against Washington dating back to December 28, 2008, winning twice at home and twice on the road in those games. Their last meeting resulted in a 17-13 49ers home victory during the 2014 season.
Sunday's game will be the 49ers' third consecutive road game and the last before returning to Levi's Stadium for an October 22 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
One of the more obvious storylines heading into the Week 6 matchup will surround quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is scheduled to become a free agent after the season and after playing under the franchise tag for the second season in a row. Since Shanahan's hiring in February, there has been massive speculation that Cousins could be a future candidate for the 49ers' quarterback job. However, such a move would be costly with the quarterback expected to command a future contract valued at as much as $30 million a year.
Through four games this season, Cousins has completed over 66-percent of his passes for 1,004 yards, seven touchdowns, and just one interception. His passer rating of 107.6 ranks ninth in the NFL and he has the fourth-highest Pro Football Focus quarterback rating (93.1), which accounts for dropped passes, throw aways, spikes, and other factors. Just Alex Smith, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees have better Pro Football Focus quarterback ratings.
By comparison, 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer's passer rating of 75.8 ranks 29th among signal callers with 50-or-more pass attempts. While he has more passing yards than Cousins (1,211), Hoyer has played in one more game than his Washington counterpart and has thrown four interceptions to go with his four touchdown passes. Hoyer's Pro Football Focus quarterback rating (82) ranks 25th in the NFL. On Sunday against the Colts, Hoyer completed 29 of his 46 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns.
San Francisco and Washington kick off at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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