The Denver Broncos just dropped their second loss of the season, falling 24-14 to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon. It was a close one through three quarters, but the 49ers pulled away late, and honestly, the way the Broncos played, it felt almost inevitable. You cannot win in this league when you ignore what is staring you in the face.
Seriously, Where Was the Run Game?
Look, the 49ers defense might be a top scoring unit, but we all saw what the Arizona Cardinals did to them on the ground last week. They have been giving up yards on the ground early this season, a clear avenue for the Broncos to exploit. So what did Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb do? He ignored it, plain and simple. It is beyond baffling. In the entire first half, the Broncos ran the ball a pathetic nine times for a measly 32 yards. Meanwhile, Bo Nix was slinging it 24 times, completing only 14 of those for 93 yards. That is not just unbalanced, that is disastrous. You cannot be this one-dimensional on the road against a team like the 49ers and expect to win. They might have won the time of possession battle in the first half, but not committing to the run early was an inexcusable decision from Webb and the whole coaching staff. They only bothered to establish the run late in the fourth quarter on their last touchdown drive. How many more weeks are we going to see this before they figure out you HAVE to establish the run to have a successful offense in the NFL? This is absolutely wild.
Defense Fought Hard, But Got Zero Help
I have got to give credit where credit is due: the defense played their hearts out for most of that game. They did a really good job of limiting the 49ers’ opportunities in the first half. Think about it, they held one of the league’s best offenses to just three points after thirty minutes of play! That is a huge win on that side of the ball. But man, there were still some issues. A few missed tackles here and there, and they just could not get to Brock Purdy. Not a single sack on him the entire game. And then, when the offense could not get anything going and Marvin Mims Jr. fumbled a punt return in the second half, the defense was left out to dry. Short fields against Kyle Shanahan’s offense? That is a death sentence. As the game wore on, you could see them wearing down. The dagger came late, a big 56-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown by George Kittle that sealed the 49ers’ victory. That was a brilliant call by Shanahan, knowing exactly how to beat Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph who was throwing everything at Purdy to try and get the ball back.
What Comes Next
The Broncos are now sitting with two losses, and a pile of injuries to boot. The immediate concern has to be how long this coaching staff, particularly Davis Webb, can keep making these same baffling decisions about the run game. This team needs to look in the mirror fast and figure out what kind of identity they want on offense. You cannot keep leaving your defense hanging like that.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mile High Report.
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