SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers saved their best drive for last Sunday against the Washington Redskins, and it was only fitting that wide receiver Anquan Boldin made a huge play that propelled them to a 17-13 victory at Levi’s Stadium.

Boldin caught nine passes for a season-high 137 yards and a touchdown. During the 49ers’ eight-play, 75-yard game-winning touchdown drive, Boldin made a spectacular 29-yard catch-and-run that set up Carlos Hyde’s 4-yard touchdown run with 2:59 left to play.

“He’s a shining star, a stalwart who makes those plays,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said of Boldin.

Trailing 13-10 with 5:36 left to play, the 49ers faced fourth-and-1 from their 34. They went for it, and running back Frank Gore pounded up the middle for 3 yards and a first down.

On the next play, quarterback Colin Kaepernick fired a dart to Boldin down the right seam. Boldin made the catch, survived a blow to the head from safety Ryan Clark and kept running. Clark was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness, moving the ball to Washington’s 19.

Hyde gained 5 yards on first down. Kaepernick drilled a 10-yard pass to Boldin, and then Hyde scored standing.

The 49ers (7-4) won their third straight game and are tied with Seattle for second place in the NFC West, two games behind Arizona. They face the Seahawks on Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium.

Kaepernick completed 20 of 29 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown with one interception, and wide receiver Michael Crabtree caught five passes for 58 yards.

Running back Alfred Morris rushed for a season-high 125 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries for Washington (3-8), which lost its third straight game.

Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III had a rough day, completing 11 of 19 passes for just 106 yards and no touchdowns. He was sacked five times.

“I need to play better,” Griffin said. “I’ve got to find a way to make those plays that we need.”

What the 49ers said:

“It’s going to be an exciting game. We’ve been playing Thursday night games every season, so it’s nothing new. We know how to prepare. It’s all about recovery from this game and moving forward. We’ll get in tomorrow, watch film, put this one to bed and move on to Seattle. It’s a big game.” — Offensive tackle Joe Staley, on the 49ers upcoming showdown against the Seahawks.

What the Redskins said:

“We’re in a slump. We’re all in it together. There’s no one man or one person. So however we figure out to get out of the slump together, we need to figure out how to win. That’s the biggest thing. It’s tough not winning.” — Wide receiver DeSean Jackson

What we learned about the 49ers:

1. Anquan Boldin is a linebacker disguised as a wide receiver. OK, that’s not exactly breaking news, but the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Boldin continued giving more punishment than he received Sunday. Boldin caught nine passes for a season-high 137 yards and one touchdown in San Francisco’s 17-13 victory against Washington. During the 49ers’ game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, Boldin caught a Colin Kaepernick pass, bounced off a helmet-to-helmet hit from safety Ryan Clark and kept running for a 29-yard gain. Clark drew a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness, giving San Francisco a first down at Washington’s 19. “When he catches the ball you’d better bite down on your mouthpiece because he’s going to bring the thump, too,” 49ers strong safety Antoine Bethea said.

2. Outside linebacker Aldon Smith’s rust is already gone, and his presence is helping the rest of San Francisco’s pass rushers. Playing just his second game Sunday since returning from a nine-game suspension, Smith had two sacks and four quarterback hits against Washington. The 49ers sacked Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III five times, with defensive end Justin Smith, defensive tackle Ray McDonald and outside linebacker Aaron Lynch each getting one. “I think he looked really sharp,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said of Aldon Smith. “His speed was there, his power.”

–WR Anquan Boldin caught nine passes for a season-high 137 yards and one touchdown Sunday in a 17-13 victory against Washington. Over his past four games, Boldin has caught 26 passes for 378 yards and three scores. For the season, Boldin has 65 catches for 825 yards, both team highs. He’s tied with WR Michael Crabtree for the team lead in touchdown catches with four.

–QB Colin Kaepernick threw a touchdown pass for the 18th straight game, tying Steve Young’s franchise record. Kaepernick tied the record with a 30-yard touchdown pass to WR Anquan Boldin in the first quarter of San Francisco’s 17-13 victory against Washington. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown with one interception.

–OLB Aldon Smith, playing just his second game since returning from a nine-game suspension, had his first two sacks of the season Sunday against Washington. Smith keyed a five-sack 49ers attack against Redskins QB Robert Griffin III. Smith also had four quarterback hits.

What we learned about the Redskins:

1. Quarterback Robert Griffin III probably won’t keep his starting job if he has another game like he had Sunday against the 49ers. Griffin completed 11 of 19 passes for just 106 yards and no touchdowns. He was sacked five times. Griffin missed some wide-open receivers, and he often held the ball too long, which led to some of the 49ers’ sacks. “We just have to find ways to generate plays for our receivers down the field, and I have to find ways to make it happen,” Griffin said. “I feel like I have to play better and find ways to make those big plays happen no matter what’s going on.”

2. Running back Alfred Morris has recaptured his Pro Bowl form. Morris carried 21 times for a season-high 125 yards and one touchdown against the 49ers’ formidable defense. He averaged a season-high 6.0 yards per carry. Over the past three games, Morris has rushed for an average of 104.3 yards. “I stopped trying to think too much,” Morris said. “I said this weeks ago, I was thinking too much. I’ve been playing this game since I was 5. I know how to be a runner. I just stopped thinking and stopped trying to make things happen that weren’t there. Each week has been getting better and better.”

–RB Alfred Morris carried 21 times for a season-high 125 yards and one touchdown Sunday in a 17-13 loss to San Francisco. Morris averaged a season-high 6.0 yards per carry and had a long run of 30 yards.

–QB Robert Griffin III completed 11 of 19 passes for just 106 yards and no touchdowns Sunday in a 17-13 loss to San Francisco. Griffin was sacked five times, some of those coming because he held the ball too long. Griffin was sacked six times and passed for only 207 yards the week before in a 27-7 loss to Tampa Bay.

–CB David Amerson was on the inactive list Sunday after violating a team rule. “We were disappointed obviously,” Washington coach Jay Gruden said. “David did not play. That was my decision not to play David. He’s going to play for us for a very long time in the future, but unfortunately it wasn’t today.” Amerson started the first 10 games this season.