The Denver Broncos trek to the West Coast to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. At 3-0, the 49ers are one of the only undefeated teams in the NFL. They boast a high-scoring offense and well-rounded defense and present a tough matchup for the Broncos. Here is a deeper look at Denver’s Week 4 opponent.
2025 San Francisco 49ers Season Review
The 49ers finished their 2025 regular season with a 12-5 record earning second place in the NFC West. They lost to the Seattle Seahawks in a blowout during
the NFC Divisional Playoff Round.
2026 San Francisco 49ers Offseason Additions and Departures
The 49ers made a few big moves in free agency to bolster their offense and defense. They brought in longtime veteran wide receiver Mike Evans to be a high-volume target for quarterback Brock Purdy. Another move at the position was bringing back Deebo Samuel who spent the ‘25 season with the Washington Commanders.
On defense, another reunion took place. Inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw to pair with Fred Warner after his one-year stint with the Broncos last season. They also made a trade to bolster their defensive trenches sending a third-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for versatile defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, the 49ers were aggressive moving up for Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling at the top of the second round. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury in the first week of the season and is expected to be out until late in the year.
A pair of defenders, Texas Tech’s Romello Height and Oklahoma’s Gracen Halton are starting on their defensive front seven. Though it appears Height will be out this week against Denver. Third-round running back Kaelon Black is performing well in his split opportunities at running back, with 107 yards on 25 carries thus far.
Offensive X-Factor: Quarterback Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy is off to a great start with the 49ers. Purdy has been one of the most efficient and accurate quarterbacks in the league to start the season. He touts a 72-percent completion percentage and 9 touchdowns to just 1 interception thus far. The 49ers red zone and third down offense have also been incredible. Without question, the fifth-year quarterback isone of the NFL’s most underrated signal callers.
In addition to being extremely accurate in the pocket, Purdy does a masterful job on play action and making throws on the move. When you couple that with his underrated ability to use his legs, he needs to be considered as a dual threat at quarterback. He can scoot when the opportunity presents itself. Limiting his impact will be mission critical if the Broncos want to escape San Francisco with a victory.
The 49ers offensive line has done an incredible job protecting him. He hasn’t been sacked at all through three games. Without edge rusher Jonathon Cooper and John Franklin-Myers, the Broncos haven’t been getting as much pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Vance Joseph’s defense needs to dial up the heat and figure out a way to get to the quarterback on a more consistent basis.
Defensive X-Factor: Linebacker Fred Warner
One of the best inside linebackers in the NFL, Fred Warner is looking to rebound this season after playing in only six games last year. So far, so good for Warner. He is off to a ferocious start, posting 33 tackles, a half sack, and two forced fumbles over the course of San Francisco’s first three games.
The four-time All-Pro and Pro-Bowl linebacker is my key player for them on defense. In his ninth season in the league, he is still performing at an elite level. His coverage remains sound and that’s an area he has excelled at with ten career interceptions. Additionally, he remains one of the best run defenders at the position. He’s a star player the Broncos will certainly be aware of.
Denver needs their running game to work well in order to achieve a victory. Warner has a penchant for making plays in the backfield and gets downfield in a hurry shooting the gaps. Denver’s offensive line will need to be at their best to give J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey good running lanes to get through. They can’t let Warner ruin their running game endeavors. If that happens, that will put even more pressure on Bo Nix to try and win the game through the air.
How the Broncos can secure a victory over the 49ers
This road game is another big challenge for the Broncos who have one of the toughest first half of the season schedules in the NFL. My keys to the game on defense are stopping their running attack, limiting Purdy’s impact, but also finding a way to create turnovers. Denver’s defense has done a great job thus far in that regard—posting four turnovers in three games.
On offense, the Broncos have to start off hot. The three-and-outs, constant penalties, and poor third down rate are absolutely crushing their offensive potential. This is a week Bo Nix needs to stand out and perform at a high level throughout the game. Their defense is pretty staunch, and he has struggled facing zone coverage. It will be interesting to see how they plan to attack the 49ers.
If they can accomplish most of those things, they’ll have a great shot at winning. A lot of folks are picking the 49ers, but I think Denver’s back-to-back comeback victories have given them a lot of confidence and swagger. I expect this to be a close game with Denver prevailing.
Hart’s Prediction: Broncos 24, 49ers 20.
