SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Two years ago, a Robert Griffin III-Colin Kaepernick meeting represented a sure-fire ratings generator full of dazzling heroics from each dual-threat quarterback and their zone-read-heavy, play-action offenses.  But with both Griffin and Kaepernick battling inconsistencies and the trials associated with the transition to life as pocket passers, Sunday’s meeting between the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers instead turned into a defensive struggle.  Thanks to a sack-fumble by Justin Smith at the Washington 7-yard line with 59 seconds left, it was the 49ers who came out on top. The play snuffed out Washington’s hope for a last-minute, game-winning drive and sealed a 17-13 victory for San Francisco.  Washington fell to 3-8 after ongoing struggles on offense overshadowed their minimal positives and the impactful contributions from the defense.  The Redskins entered the game shorthanded because of injuries to left tackle Trent Williams, tight end Jordan Reed and nose tackle Chris Baker. Cornerback David Amerson was benched for missing a team meeting this week.  An excellent showing by the defense was not enough to save the Redskins' as they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 17-13. The Washington Post's Gene Wang and Scott Allen discuss the loss and breakdown RGIII's performance. (Kyle Barss/The Washington Post)  But the defense managed to overcome those absences, as well as the in-game losses of cornerbacks E.J. Biggers (concussion) and Tracy Porter (shoulder) and force three turnovers while limiting 49ers workhorse Frank Gore to 36 yards on 13 carries. Kaepernick completed 20 of 29 passes for 256 yards, a touchdown and interception. But his offense went 5 for 13 on third downs.  The defensive play, plus a 125-yard rushing game from Alfred Morris — his first with more than 100 this season — briefly looked as if it would be enough to nudge Washington to victory. But continual third-down woes, plus the collapse on the final drive, did the Redskins in yet again.  “We didn’t do very well,” Coach Jay Gruden said. “We ran the ball pretty well. We kept the game close, and what we really wanted to do was not turn the ball over. We got some turnovers defensively, we had a great opportunity to win the game, we just didn’t do a good enough job in the passing game with our protection when we had to. We just let them hang around there and they got a touchdown at the end.”  Under siege for much of the week as he came off of one of the ugliest performances of his career last Sunday against Tampa Bay, Griffin shook off a rough first quarter to play the role of game manager, completing 11 of 19 passes for 106 yards. Griffin handed the ball off 24 times.  But Griffin completed only 1 of 6 third-down passes, and his team converted only 2 of 13 attempts for first downs. The Redskins managed only three points off turnovers forced by their defense.  Meanwhile, Griffin got sacked five times, with the final time sealing defeat.  “We’ve just got to find ways to make the plays down the field and I’ve got to find ways to make it happen,” said Griffin, who missed one deep pass attempt to DeSean Jackson and settled primarily for short-to-intermediate passes. “I’ve got to play better and find ways to make those big plays happen no matter what’s going on. That’s the way I’ll look at it. I need to go back and look at the tape.”  Griffin ran the ball three times, and his eight-yard scramble out of the shotgun with 8 minutes 32 seconds left set up place kicker Kai Forbath. The 46-yard field goal put Washington up 13-10 for its first lead.  But the advantage proved short-lived.  San Francisco faced fourth and one from its 34, and Gore picked up the first down with a three-yard run up the middle. Kaepernick then completed a 29-yard pass to wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who ran through a hit to the head from safety Ryan Clark. Clark was penalized, tacking on 15 yards. Three plays later, backup running back Carlos Hyde broke Clark’s tackle attempt and scored a touchdown from four yards out. Following the point after, the home team led 17-13 with 2:59 left.  Washington had a chance for the game-winning drive. But a false start on Morgan Moses, starting in place of Williams at left tackle, an incomplete pass, a Griffin scramble and then the sack-fumble when Smith beat Moses crippled the Redskins.  “Give credit to them,” Jackson said. “They’re a good team. We felt we were in this game and we could’ve won. We weren’t able to capitalize on certain situations. . . . It kind of slipped.”  The game opened up in typical Redskins fashion.  Washington received the opening kick but lost two yards in three plays and punted. The defense, meanwhile, came out and offered little resistance as the 49ers marched 59 yards in five plays, finding the end zone on a 30-yard pass from Kaepernick to Boldin, who was trailed by safety Brandon Meriweather.  In the second quarter, the defense came up with a rare takeaway (only the 10th of the season) when Meriweather knocked the ball from Gore’s grasp. Clark recovered at the Washington 40-yard line, though it didn’t lead to any points.  Griffin got his second completion of the day — a five-yard check-down to Morris — and proceeded to find a long-missing rhythm. The quarterback completed three more passes — a seven-yarder to Andre Roberts, a 24-yarder to Pierre Garcon and an 11-yarder to tight end Niles Paul — to move his team into scoring position.  On third and goal from a yard out, Morris squirted through the line and put his team on the board with his seventh touchdown run of the season.  That tied the game at 7 with 5:33 left in the first half. But the 49ers moved downfield — picking up a crucial 25-yard pass completion on fourth and two from the Washington 48 — and converted a 41-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead into the locker rooms.  In the third quarter, Washington got help from an unlikely contributor. Cornerback Greg Ducre — who replaced an injured Porter, who started in place of Amerson — intercepted a Kaepernick pass at the Washington 26.  Following Tress Way’s second punt, Washington strung together a seven-play, 69-yard drive capped with a 27-yard Forbath field goal to tie the game at 10 with 4:18 left in the third.  The Redskins had the ball twice in the final three minutes of the game and couldn’t produce even a first down.  “We’re in a slump. We’re all in it together,” Jackson said. “There’s no one man or one person. So, however we figure it out to get out of the slump together, we need to figure out how to win.”  Mike Jones covers the Washington Redskins for The Washington Post. When not writing about a Redskins development of some kind – which is rare – he can be found screaming and cheering at one of his kids’ softball, baseball, soccer or basketball games.
Washington played it close to the vest, but surrendered a fourth-quarter lead in a road game it had a chance to win.