Though the first-string offense of the Denver Broncos moved the ball well against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, the team settled for a field goal before the second-string offense was able to help get six more points on the board via the kicking game.
The second half was a totally different story. The 49ers were the much more polished team and the Broncos looked like one with a lot of work to do and a lot of things to figure out.
That led to a 24-15 win for the Niners and gives us this list of winners and losers.
Winner: Bradley Chubb
Many are predicting a huge second season for Chubb, perhaps even bigger than the season Von Miller will have, and there is starting to be evidence for that.
Chubb looked regular-season ready on Monday night, getting off the snap quickly and putting pressure on the quarterback. He had two quarterback hits and a sack in limited action.
Loser: The entire running game
During the regular season, the Broncos’ rushing attack better be a lot better than it was in this game. The offensive line was getting pushed backward on a consistent basis and there was literally nowhere to run the ball.
As a result, Denver running backs rushed 21 times and gained 47 yards. That’s just over 2 yards per carry. By contrast, quarterback Kevin Hogan and wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Tim Patrick had 55 yards rushing on four attempts.
Winner: Emmanuel Sanders
It’s not easy to come back from a torn ACL, especially at 32 years of age. But Sanders looks to be in tip-top shape.
He gained 19 yards on a nice end-around play and had a 45-yard reception on a pretty throw from Joe Flacco wiped out by a holding call on Garett Bolles. The play didn’t count but Sanders looked quick, running right past the defender and gaining enough separation to make a play on the ball.
The main reason Sanders is on this list is due to the way he appears to have completely overcome his serious injury.
Loser: Kick coverage
The special teams for the Broncos left much to be desired in this game, but the kick coverage was particularly bad.
San Francisco’s Richie James returned two kicks for 80 yards. That’s an average of 40 yards per return and that’s not going to get it done. This needs to be a point of focus at practice this week.
Winner: Isaac Yiadom
Yiadom is a guy who needed to make a play in the preseason this summer and he did, very early on.
Jimmy Garoppolo was seeing his first action since tearing his ACL last September and on just his second pass attempt of the game, he threw a ball toward Marquise Goodwin. But Yiadom was there to make the play, snagging the interception to set the Broncos up with great field position.
Loser: Kevin Hogan
Hogan had a chance to see more action than was originally planned for him in this one when Drew Lock left the game with a thumb injury. Hogan had the opportunity to make his case for a spot on the 53-man roster (which he might get by default), but he didn’t do much to impress.
Granted, his 24-yard scramble late in the game for a touchdown was the most exciting play of the night for the Broncos, but he completed just five of his 15 throws. Some of that can be attributed to the offensive line, which was bullied from start to finish. Hogan was sacked five times and the offensive line, which can easily be considered a “loser” in this game as well, gave up six sacks on the night.
