The San Francisco 49ers defense began the game with a three-and-out. Cornerback Renardo Green was involved in two of the three plays. The Denver Broncos wanted a pass-interference call, but the ref saw it differently.
After a 57-yard punt pinned the offense at their six-yard line, the Niners picked up a couple of first downs to get out of the shadow of their own end zone. After a reverse in which Jacob Cowing only gained two yards, Brock Purdy and Cowing weren’t on the same page on third down, which led
to a 49ers punt.
The Broncos were also backed up. They flipped the field on third down after Nix used his legs to extend the play and found the running back streaking down the sideline. Raheem Morris blitzed Dre Greenlaw and dropped Keion White and Romello Height in coverage. Nobody picked up the running back.
Nix found Marvin Mims for 10 yards on 3rd & 8, giving Denver their first real chance to score. But old friend Mike McGlinchey was flagged for holding. The Broncos settled for a 52-yard field goal. Those were the first points the 49ers have allowed in the first quarter of the season.
Deebo Samuel began the next drive at running back. He ran through a tackle by Talanoa Hufanga for a first down. On 3rd and 4, the 49ers ran for three yards. It was closer to 4th and 2 than 4th and 1, but that didn’t stop the offense from attempting a quarterback sneak. Purdy didn’t gain any yards, as the offense stalled for its second consecutive drive.
The defense did not disappoint. After a penalty that made it 3rd and 7, Raheem Morris dialed up a blitz that led to a free rusher. Dre Greenlaw flushed Nix from the pocket, and Denver went three-and-out for the second time in three drives.
The third drive began at the Niners 12-yard line. Brandin Cooks saw his first action. The drive lasted two minutes, as McCaffrey was stopped short on 3rd and 1.
During the defense’s fourth drive, Malik Mustapha rotated in for Marques Sigle. Dre Greenlaw missed a tackle to make it third and one, but the Broncos had another false start to make it third and six. Nix couldn’t find anybody open, but reversed field and made another play with his legs. This time, it resulted in a first down for Denver.
Mustapha got the last laugh on the drive after breaking up a pass on third down and making a diving stop to force a punt.
Purdy found Mike Evans for an 18-yard gain to start the fourth drive. McCaffrey gained ten on a second-and-short. The offense showed signs of life as it approached the two-minute warning. Kyle Shanahan went back to the reverse. This time, it was to the left side with Deebo Samuel. Deebo ran through multiple arm tackles, gaining 20 yards to give San Francisco a chance to put points on the board before the two-minute warning.
Purdy found Kyle Juszczyk for a 12-yard gain, and the Niners had another fresh set of downs. On third and goal, Purdy scrambled, but missed Evans in the end zone, who was open. Eddy Pineiro kicked a 24-yard field goal to tie the game at three.
Denver’s offense had 1:36 remaining in the half, but was out of timeouts. They mustered one first down, but the defense held and gave the offense the ball back with two timeouts and 47 seconds remaining.
Fred Warner had been in the blue medical tent earlier in the half. After that series, he headed to the locker room early.
Purdy found Evans for a 25-yard gain. It was over the middle, and Evans took a shot to the ribs. He was clearly in pain, but Patrick Surtain was the one down on the field. The Broncos were forced to use one of their timeouts. It was a non-contact injury for Surtain, who limped off the field with help from the trainers.
The offense did its part. They got into field goal range. On Pineiro’s attempt, rookie Carver Willis was bowled over by Zach Allen, who blocked the kick. The game remained tied at three heading into halftime.
The Broncos averaged only 3.8 yards per play, compared to the 49ers’ 5.6. But the Niners were 3-for-8 on late downs, while Denver converted 54% of their opportunities. The Niners’ defense dominated early downs, but Nix’s scrambling made the difference.
Nix had 24 attempts in the first half for 93 yards. His aDOT was 4.1 yards, 4.1 yards below the NFL average. He was 3-for-10 against the blitz for 15 yards. He was not sharp.
The 49ers got the ball to start the fourth quarter. Deebo fumbled the kickoff, but Brayden Willis was Johnny on the Spot.
Cooks and Jordan Watkins were the wideouts to begin the drive. Cooks was flagged for an illegal shift, but the penalty was declined. He was targeted on third down, but kept drifting on his route, and the ball went right through his hands. And the offense went three-and-out.
Second-year safety Marques Sigle was shaken up to begin the next drive. Mustapha came in for Sigle, who headed to the blue medical tent. It was an unfortunate injury, as Sigle made a great run-stuffing play.
The defense forced another third-and-long, but Upton Stout couldn’t work his way through the pick to prevent the first-down reception. Warner jarred the ball free on first down. Greenlaw tracked Nix down on third down, and Denver was forced to punt once again.
Broncos cornerback Riley Moss left with a rib injury and was questionable to return. That meant Denver was down their top two corners. Could the Niners take advantage?
Watkins and Deebo would be the receivers on this drive. Evans returned on the next two downs, but he was covered on third down.
That drive lasted one minute. Corliss Waitman booted a 61-yarder, but Siran Neal had an even more impressive play, forcing a fumble and gifting the offense the ball at Denver’s 28.
On 4th and 1, Jake Brendel snapped the ball as if Purdy were under center. The ball flipped up into the air and into the hands of Kaelon Black, who converted. Then, on 2nd and 11, Purdy scrambled for a first down, and the Niners had first-and-goal.
That would not be the last time Purdy used his legs. On third-and-goal, Purdy looked like he might run for a touchdown. After he realized he’d come up short, he spotted Deebo in his peripheral vision. Samuel was wide open, and the touchdown was the first of the game, giving the 49ers a 10-3 lead.
Sigle returned to the game after suffering a stinger earlier in the game. It seemed as though the 49ers had the Broncos dead to rights, but Stout got lost in coverage, and Pat Bryant found a soft spot in the zone and gained 30 yards.
Denver faced a 3rd and 10 from the 30. They threw a screen pass for seven yards, but it meant the Broncos would settle for a field goal to make it 10-6.
Purdy bought time that led to a 16-yard gain to Juszczyk, but the defender went low on him. Juszczyk needed help off the field after grabbing his knee. Brayden Willis filled in for Juszczyk, who was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
As that happened, Stout ran to the locker room. He was questionable to return with a shoulder injury.
After finding Evans for nine yards, McCaffrey picked up 14 yards to put the 49ers in field goal range. A play-action pass to Evans gained 16 yards, giving the offense a goal-to-go situation. McCaffrey dove into the end zone, giving the Niners a 17-6 lead.
Jack Jones replaced Stout, and Deommodore Lenoir moved to nickel. Jones missed a tackle on the first play, allowing RJ Harvey to pick up 18 yards. Greenlaw made a heck of an effort to force a fumble on Harvey a couple of plays later — Warner might get credit for it — but the ball bounced back to Denver. So, the fumble luck evened out.
After a couple of successful rushes, Lenoir got caught in no-man’s-land in coverage. Jones was late to react, and the Broncos scored to make it 17-12. A two-point conversion made it a ballgame, and it was 17-14 with four minutes remaining. The Broncos drove 70 yards in 8 plays in under five minutes.
The offense had an opportunity to drain the clock with four minutes remaining. We’ve seen them do it to end games all season. After finding McCaffrey for a nine-yard gain, Purdy snuck for a first down.
We’ve also seen Shanahan go for the kill shot in these situations, as he did last week. Shanahan dialed up a screen to Kittle. Jake Brendel made a great block, and Kittle, who looked shocked by all the space in front of him, outran Talanoa Hufanga for a 56-yard completion.
Kittle reaching nearly 20 miles per hour when we’re less than nine months removed from his Achilles surgery is remarkable.
Denver’s 58-yard field goal attempt was wide right, and that would seal the deal. The 49ers are 4-0.
