Week 4 is upon us, and the San Francisco 49ers will close out their trio of home games by hosting the Denver Broncos. Of all the teams the 49ers have faced, the Broncos will be the biggest test. The 49ers offense has been humming and leads the league in several categories, while the Broncos defense is no joke. If the 49ers offense can keep producing, it will tell us a lot about its efficiency against “good” defenses.
The 49ers are 2-0 in their division and just finished holding off the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals’ offense gave the 49ers everything they could handle, but Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense were clicking on just about every drive and keeping things out of reach. When the Cardinals started catching up and getting the 49ers into possible trouble, the offense just kept answering. This week, Brock Purdy may be without his top wide receiver, Mike Evans. While Evans is questionable and is making a strong case to play, his rib injury suggests he may be more of a decoy.
The 49ers have called up Brandin Cooks from the practice squad, which should help carry the load left by Evans. Jordan Watkins also made a strong case for himself last week after Evans left the game.
The Broncos just got done coming back from 16-0 at halftime against the Los Angeles Rams to win 30-26. This was thanks to Matthew Stafford throwing some very misguided passes that were intercepted and the Broncos defense finding openings. The Rams had more yards, first downs, and time of possession. The Broncos were just calculating and took advantage of their opportunities when they made themselves known. The Broncos’ offense is vulnerable, but that defense is nothing to sleep on. Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga, who previously played for the 49ers, had two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.
As we said, this was more on the defense. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix went 17-for-34, for 186 yards passing. The ground game only accumulated 78 yards across five ball carriers. The Broncos still won 30-26. The 49ers defense will need to step up to hold things down if the offense struggles.
Defensive linemen Nick Bosa (calf), Mykel Williams (knee), and James Thompson (ankle) will be out. Wide receiver Mike Evans (ribs), linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quad), defensive end Keion White (hamstring), and linebacker Jaden Dugger (shoulder) are questionable. The 49ers will be calling up both wide receiver Brandin Cooks and recently acquired defensive lineman Matthew Judon from the practice squad. They also have elevated Malik Turner.
The Broncos will be without outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman (Hamstring). The rest of their injury report is listed as available, and they were full participants in practice.
RB J.K. Dobbins (hip)
WR Jaylen Waddle (foot)
WR Marvin Mims Jr. (foot)
Date: Sunday, October 3, 2026
Kickoff: 01:25 PM PST, 4:25 PM EST
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Network: CBS
Play-by-Play: Kevin Harlan
Color Analyst: Trent Green
Broadcast Map (Via 506sports): Blue is San Francisco v Denver
SB Nation Affiliate: Mile High Report
Odds: 49ers -2.5 atFanDuel Sportsbook
Total: 47.5
