It wasn’t the most convincing of wins, but it was a win nonetheless, as the San Francisco 49ers withstood the Denver Broncos and the heat, moving to 4-0 on the season with a 24-14 victory.
A slow first half for both sides ended with a blocked Eddy Pineiro field goal, which added to the slow start, but things woke up late in the third quarter to San Francisco’s advantage. And with such a close game, it only took a couple of big plays to swing the momentum the 49ers’ way.
We use two of Sunday’s stars
to acknowledge who made those game-changing plays:
3rd star: TE Georgie Kittle
It wasn’t the big momentum swing, but it was the play that put things to rest for the 49ers.
Kittle was held to a relatively quiet game up until the 2:25 mark in the fourth quarter. Until then, he was targeted five times for three receptions and 14 yards before the 49ers took a three-point lead late in the game.
Facing a second-and-8 with a chance to run the clock down to the two-minute warning, the 49ers went to Kittle. A slow-developing screen gave the tight end oodles of space, and after making the first man miss, it was a footrace to the end zone. Kittle outpaced Talonoa Hufanga for a 56-yard score and gave the 49ers an insurmountable 10-point lead.
The speed looked good for a player nine months removed from an Achilles injury. Kittle’s day was boosted by the big catch, finishing with 70 yards on four receptions and a touchdown.
2nd star: DB Siran Neal
Kittle’s play might have sealed the win, but Neal’s special teams play first swung the momentum toward the 49ers.
The third quarter started the way the first half did for the 49ers offense: slow. San Francisco opened the third quarter with two drives totaling six plays for four yards. That’s when Corliss Waitman was called onto the field for his fourth punt of the game and second of the third quarter with Marvin Mims back to return.
Waitman launched a 61-yard punt with Neal gunning down towards Mims. Mims decided to take the return even with Neal closing in, and the decision was a poor one. Neal held Mims to just a one-yard return, but before Mims’ elbow could hit the ground, the impact of his wrist hitting the ground jarred the ball loose, and Neal was able to recover.
After a quick review, the call was confirmed, and the 49ers regained possession at the Denver 28-yard line. Nine plays later, the 49ers took the lead 10-3 with their first touchdown of the afternoon.
The 49ers offense was floundering, but the field-position swing of Neal’s forced fumble changed things. Before Neal’s heroics, the offense had scored only three points through nearly three quarters. After the forced fumble, the 49ers scored 21 points in a little over a quarter.
Neal’s takeaway completely flipped the game in San Francisco’s favor, and for that he earned Sunday’s No. 2 star.
1st star: WR Mike Evans
Maybe his ribs are broken, maybe they aren’t, but you could tell that Evans was in pain on Sunday. And despite the pain, Evans still led all pass-catchers in receiving yards.
In the gutsiest performance since Mac Jones in Los Angeles last season, Evans hauled down five passes for 76 yards, wincing and hobbling his way through Sunday.
Evans was responsible for some of the biggest plays in the 49ers’ offense, with three receptions for 15 or more yards. He started his day with a big 18-yard gain to open the 49ers’ fourth drive. The catch-and-kick started what turned out to be the 49ers’ first scoring drive of the game, resulting in an Eddy Pineiro field goal.
His next catch was his longest reception of the game. With 38 seconds left in the first half and the offense inside its own 20-yard line, Evans flipped the field with a 26-yard reception, getting the ball near midfield. This catch also led to a Pineiro field goal, but this kick was blocked, holding the drive without points.
Evans’ last big play led to the game-winning score, after starting the 49ers’ first drive of the fourth quarter with a nine-yard grab to move the offense into plus territory. Several plays later, Evans almost got into the end zone, but a 17-yard reception moved the ball to the goal line, setting up a Christian McCaffrey touchdown to put the 49ers up 17-6.
It’s not the most eye-popping line we’ve seen from Evans, but with the ribs obviously bothering him, it boosts the performance that much more.
Throughout the season, we will track the three stars of the season by tallying points for each star award using a complex scoring system: three points for being the first star, two for the second, and one for the third. Through Week 4, the standings are:
- QB Brock Purdy – 7 points
- LB Fred Warner – 3 points
- WR Deebo Samuel – 3 points
