The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Washington Commanders 27-10 on Sunday, clinching the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Sunday also featured the returns of defensive end Chase Young and left tackle Trent Williams to Washington.
Young, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, was traded on Oct. 31 for a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. After the trade, someone in Washington’s organization described the trade as “addition by subtraction,” noting Young’s durability and undisciplined play.
Williams was traded during the 2020 NFL draft after 10 seasons with the organization after being at odds with management.
Before the game, the former Washington first-round picks came out of the tunnel together in their return to FedEx Field.
Trent Williams and Chase Young — returns to Washington for both of them pic.twitter.com/8NSoEzMShK
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) December 31, 2023
How did the duo fare in their return?
Williams was his usual dominant self, opening holes for San Francisco’s running backs while leading an offensive line that did not allow a sack while the game was competitive.
Meanwhile, Young was credited with one tackle in his return to Washington, playing situational snaps. Since his trade to San Francisco, Young has been playing 54% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps, and he had 2.5 sacks in seven games before Sunday.
The Commanders entered Sunday without both starting offensive tackles. Left tackle Charles Leno Jr. was placed on IR Saturday, while right tackle Andrew Wylie was ruled out before the game, paving the way for Cornelius Lucas and Trent Scott to start at left and right tackle, respectively.
Against a pair of backup tackles and facing a quarterback who has been sacked 61 times, Young had just one tackle in Sunday’s game.
Washington coach Ron Rivera hasn’t gotten many things right, but he doesn’t look wrong for trading Young for a 2024 third-round compensatory pick.