After decades of coaching in the National Football League, Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton has seen a lot of coaches come and go. During his time with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South—Payton became quite familiar with Kyle Shanahan and Raheem Morris—who will be leading the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Those two men, as well as a quality roster of players, stand in the way of the Broncos’ pursuit of third straight victory. Under their guidance, the 49ers are undefeated to start their 2026
season. San Francisco sports both a Top 5 offense and defense and appear to be a championship caliber squad. Yesterday after practice, Payton had a lot of praise for Shanahan, who is in his tenth season leading the 49ers.
“There are so many things he does well. He—like his father—it started with an elite run-game plan. That hasn’t changed. Some of the play-actions that come off of that run game, I can recall snaps in Atlanta where Matt Ryan is extending the ball, and then all of the sudden pulls it up, and you look down the field and there’s somebody wide open,” recalled Payton with respect to memories of Shanahan over the years.
“That’s just one element of what makes him special. I think that balance relative to run and pass. We had a number of years together in the division, and then over the years as he’s become a head coach and you’re at Owners Meetings and Combines. I’m close with his father. We have a great relationship.”
Shanahan has done well calling plays and leading the 49ers’ offense. They are near the top of the league in points scored and have been incredible on third down and in the red zone. When it matters most, Shanahan’s players have been executing at a high level.
As Payton mentioned, the running game is front and center of Shanahan’s offensive game plans. This year, they have one of the best ground games in the NFL with Christian McCaffrey and rookie third-round pick Kaelon Black. If Denver hopes to win on the road, they can’t let McCaffrey and Black run wild over their defense.
On top of that, their passing offense has been incredibly efficient too. Bringing back Deebo Samuel was a good choice by their front office. Moreover, adding Mike Evans at wide receiver has really opened things up for fifth-year quarterback Brock Purdy in the passing game. Purdy leads the NFL with 9 touchdowns and only one interception and has yet to be sacked through three games.
What Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph has in store to contain the 49ers’ high-powered offense is anyone’s best guess. Without question, it will certainly be quite the chess-match for Joseph, who has had his fair share of battles against Shanahan over the years.
On offense, the Broncos are still trying to find their way. They’ve looked much better in the second half in their back-to-back comeback victories. Unfortunately, their overall efficiency and productivity have been hampered by slow starts.
Denver hasn’t been able to run the ball well consistently, are struggling converting third downs, and have had too many penalties and turnovers early on in games. It’s not a recipe for success and something the Broncos will have to figure out in short order to be top-tier competitors the rest of the season.
This Sunday, Payton and Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb hope to establish an operable game plan that can combat one of the league’s best defenses coached by Morris. The 49ers allowed just 20 points in their first two contests but had issues stopping the run and getting pressure in their Week 3 win against the Cardinals.
“He’s done a real good job defensively. They’re playing real good red-zone defense. They present a lot of problems,” remarked Payton.
“There’s so much more film that we’re all looking at. We all see it. The defense was different. This goes all the way back to when he was at Tampa. I’ve known Raheem for ages. Joint practice here with the Rams. He was in Atlanta. He’s a tremendous coach with great juice,” added Payton.
Sunday’s matchup will be a huge test for the Broncos. The 49ers a well-coached team with a roster stacked with quality players all across the board. In order to achieve a victory, Payton and his staff are going to be at their best. Which coaching staff will come up with the better game plan? You’ll just have to tune in and find out.
