Only 7 players kneel for anthem
Eric Reid and six other 49ers took a knee for the national anthem in the U.S. capitol Sunday.
That was a considerably smaller number than the previous two games. About 30 players took a knee before last week’s game at Indianapolis. The number was 23 for the players knelt for the anthem before the team’s previous two games, respectively, only seven did so this game: Reid, Marquise Goodwin, Adrian Colbert, Dekoda Watson, Eli Harold, Arik Armstead and K’Wuan Williams.
All other 49ers locked arms and/or had their hands crossing their heart.
All Washington players stood.
Reid did not travel home with the team. He is scheduled to speak to NFL owners Tuesday in New York about the issues behind the anthem protests.
The 49ers safety told this newspaper last week, “I think we are reaching people, and there’s another handful of people who chose not to hear us. Those people, you can’t change their mind — they’ll never listen to you, you’ll never win with them.
“We just need to keep the conversation going. When an opportunity presents itself to elect somebody into office at the state and national level, then we have to take advantage of those opportunities and put people in place who are going to do what we need done to fix these issues.”
• Robbie Gould pushed a third-quarter, 47-yard field-goal attempt wide right, ending a streak in which he made his previous 32 attempts dating to 2015.
Gould made his first attempt Sunday, from 52 yards out, to bring the 49ers to within 17-10.
• The 49ers got shut out in the first quarter for the third time this season. They’ve been outscored 37-13 in the first quarter, and their only first-quarter touchdown all season came in Week 3 against the Rams.
The 49ers were outgained 109-11 by Washington in the first quarter.
• The 49ers entered as the league’s most penalized team, and it was more of the game Sunday (seven penalties, 48 yards).
The lowlights: K’Wuan Williams drew a defensive holding penalty late in the game. On the next play, Kirk Cousins scored from 7 yards out to give Washington a 26-17 lead.
Trent Brown committed two false-start penalties on the first four series.
Another bad look came on the 49ers’ touchdown before halftime, when they drew a delay-ofgame penalty at the 2-yard line after an injury timeout.
None weighed more heavily on the 49ers than the questionable offensive pass-interference call on Pierre Garcon, who collided with a Washington linebacker while running a short pattern.
• The 49ers had trouble getting to Cousins much of the game, and they lost two pass rushers to injury: Arik Armstead (hand) and Aaron Lynch (calf).
• Rookie Trent Taylor delivered a career-long 39-yard punt return to the 50 in the third quarter. Taylor has looked solid fielding punts, something that is not easy for a rookie. Just ask Jarryd Hayne.