After their comeback victory against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, the Denver Broncos head on the road to take on another formidable NFC West opponent in the San Francisco 49ers. At 3-0, the 49ers sit atop of the NFC West and are one of the NFL’s best teams to start the season. Here are three things I’ll be keeping my eye on closely for Sunday’s gridiron matchup.
Brock Purdy is on a heater to start the season: Can the Broncos’ defense find a way to slow him down?
Quarterback Brock Purdy has been very efficient to start the season. In three games, Purdy is completing over 72-percent
of his passes and already has nine touchdowns on the year. He has been safe with the football with just one interception to date.
Another week, another tough challenge for Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph and his players. 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is one of the NFL’s best play-callers and has done a great job putting Purdy in successful positions. The 49ers’ offense has converted on over 60-percent of their third down attempts thus far which is the best mark in the league.
Joseph’s defense struggled to combat Matthew Stafford in the first half last week. However, made great adjustments at halftime to limit their passing attack in the second half. Can they start off better this week? That’s one thing I’ll be monitoring and a lot of that comes down to improving their pass rush.
Without Jonathon Cooper and the departure of John Franklin-Myers, Denver’s trench players haven’t been as successful getting to the quarterback this season. The 49ers offensive line has done a great job protecting Purdy who has yet to be sacked on the season. In order for Denver to topple the undefeated 49ers, finding a way to rattle the fifth-year signal caller will be crucial.
Can Denver establish the run and stop the run?
Everyone across Broncos Country saw how the Rams were able to dominate the time of possession in the first half on Sunday Night Football. They had nearly 100 yards rushing in the first half, but for whatever reason, seemed to go away from their rushing success in the second half. That was a huge mistake for Sean McVay and one I’m confident Kyle Shanahan won’t repeat on Sunday.
The 49ers enter Sunday’s matchup with one of the best rushing offenses in the league. They are averaging over 135 yards per game on the ground and over five yards per carry. Both Christian McCaffrey and rookie Kaelon Black have performed well. Denver’s defense has struggled immensely stopping the run in the first weeks of the season. That has to change in order to win on Sunday.
On the flip side, the Broncos have one of the worst rushing offenses—ranking in the bottom three in total yards and bottom five in yards per carry. It’s hard to pinpoint just one area. Sure, their stable of backs hasn’t been healthy, but the offensive line also hasn’t been winning matchups in the trenches blocking as much as all of Broncos Country had hoped.
It won’t be easy against a tough 49ers defense, but Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb has to come into this matchup with a gameplan that involves a potent ground attack. Running out of shotgun formations has been a struggle, so I expect Webb and Denver’s coaching staff to use some heavier personnel formations and operate more under center to help kickstart their rushing attack.
Will Denver’s slow starts on offense finally come to an end?
In the first three weeks, Denver’s offense has really struggled to get things going. It’s not just failed first drives; it’s a continuous failure to execute in key downs and situations through the initial 30-minutes of game time. At some point in time, the Broncos have to start off fast and take some of the burden off the defense’s shoulders.
That may be a huge challenge for them on Sunday. 49ers Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris has his players executing at a high level. They’re one of the best in the NFL and are allowing less than 17 points per game. However, they have been below average on stopping their opponents on third down.
How Webb and the Broncos’ offensive coaching staff go about attacking Morris’ defense will be one of the biggest storylines of the game for me. They’re a well-rounded group, but they have struggled to sack opposing quarterbacks and have had issues getting off the field on third down.
In the second half versus the Rams, particularly the third quarter, Webb’s playcalling got a lot better. Denver was able to create some big plays through the air and run the ball a bit more effectively under center. The Broncos will need quarterback Bo Nix and his teammates to execute much better than they have to start the season to leave San Francisco with their third win of the season.
