QB Brock Purdy and RB Christian McCaffrey help lead 49ers past Colts

INDIANAPOLIS — The San Francisco 49ers‘ long wait to Monday night’s game against the Indianapolis Colts was made much easier when the Pittsburgh Steelers knocked off the Detroit Lions on Sunday night to wrap up the Niners’ spot in the NFC playoffs.

Lest the Niners appear content with simply punching their ticket to the dance, they trampled the Colts on Monday with much bigger goals in mind. At 11-4 and aided by the Seattle Seahawks‘ win against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, the 49ers now have a direct line to the NFC’s top seed.

That path doesn’t take much explaining: If the 49ers win their next two games — home contests against the Chicago Bears and Seahawks — they will wrap up the NFC West division and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

What’s more, Super Bowl LX will be played at Levi’s Stadium, so if the Niners can get the top seed, they won’t need to get on a plane again this season.

Of course, the Niners will face far tougher tests against the Bears and Seahawks than they did against Indianapolis. But if the offense can get healthy and continue to roll — the Niners haven’t punted in more than 133 minutes of game time — they will have a chance to find themselves in an ideal position entering the postseason.

Here’s what to know from both teams after the 49ers beat the Colts on Monday night:

Turning point: In a game that appeared destined to be a shootout from the opening two drives, the Niners, who had the ball second, got the first takeaway of the night midway through the first quarter to take their first lead.

With 7:14 to go in the opening quarter, Colts returner Ameer Abdullah received the kickoff and cut inside as Niners safety Ji’Ayir Brown remained under control and redirected to Abdullah. Brown reached in and punched the ball loose, and tight end Jake Tonges recovered at Indianapolis’ 26. Five plays later, the Niners scored again to take a 14-7 lead.

What to make of the QB performance: “Monday Night Football” hadn’t been kind to quarterback Brock Purdy, as he had thrown five touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his five appearances entering this game.

But Purdy shrugged those woes off against a depleted Colts secondary, posting his first career five-touchdown game. He’s the first Niners quarterback to throw for five scores on MNF and the team’s first signal-caller to throw for five or more touchdowns in a regular-season or playoff game since Steve Young in Super Bowl XXIX against the Chargers.

Purdy finished 25-of-34 for 295 yards with one interception.

Most surprising performance: The 49ers’ run game has struggled to gain traction all season, and Monday didn’t seem the most likely time for that to change against a Colts defense that entered tied for second in yards per carry allowed (3.8).

But San Francisco’s offensive line was up to the task with running back Christian McCaffrey enjoying his second-best rushing effort of the season. The Niners finished with 145 yards on 31 carries.

McCaffrey, who racked up 117 yards on 21 carries, surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season, the fifth time he has done it in his career. — Nick Wagoner

Next game: vs. Chicago Bears (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)

The Colts’ high hopes earlier this season have all but fizzled. Indianapolis reached the verge of playoff elimination with Monday night’s loss; its playoff odds are now estimated at 2%, according to ESPN Analytics.

The Colts brought in 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers to help hold their offense together in the wake of Daniel Jones‘ season-ending Achilles injury. But it turned out other aspects of the team couldn’t keep pace with Rivers under center. While Rivers held up his end, the Colts’ defense had its most miserable performance of the season. Indianapolis is left to ponder what another offseason might look like.

Biggest hole in the game plan: The Colts elected to use a four-man pass rush while often leaving their inexperienced and overmatched cornerbacks in man coverage against the 49ers’ receivers. It worked about as well as one would expect, with Purdy picking apart the secondary for five touchdown passes. The combination of limited pass rush and inconsistent coverage allowed the 49ers to drive the ball at will.

What to make of the QB performance: To say Rivers played it close to the vest last week in his first game in five years is an understatement. But Monday night, he opened things up in a significant way, pushing the ball farther downfield after averaging just 4.4 yards per attempt in his previous game. Rivers completed 23 of 35 passes for 277 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Trend to watch: The Colts have had some ugly late-season collapses in recent seasons, and this year’s is headed toward becoming one of their worst. After starting 2025 at 8-2 and in the conversation among title contenders, Indianapolis has now lost five straight and seems destined to miss the playoffs again.

That continues a trend of late-season opportunities in 2021, 2023 and 2024 where the Colts were alive for the postseason in late December but failed to reach the playoffs in each case. This year’s shortcomings were largely due to injuries, but the trend is tiresome, nonetheless. — Stephen Holder

Next game: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)