San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos: Complete Report-Card Grades for Denver
On Sunday night, Peyton Manning became the NFL's all-time leader in career touchdown passes. The Denver Broncos also dismantled the San Francisco 49ers.
"Well deserved Peyton. Congratulations on breaking my record. #Onto600 http://t.co/MEeffAlmeP
— Brett Favre (@Favre4Official) October 20, 2014"
Denver improved their record to 5-1 on the season with a 42-17 victory over San Francisco. Denver has now won three games in a row and, coupled with the San Diego Chargers losing on Sunday, hold first place in the AFC West.
The Broncos had a great team effort and got one of the best wins in recent memory in front of a national audience on Sunday.
Denver will now have to get ready in a hurry as they host the Chargers on Thursday night.
For more on the matchup with the 49ers, including report-card grades for each positional group, read on.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Peyton Manning put together another masterful performance on Sunday night. Not only did he surpass Brett Favre's record for touchdown passes in a career, he basically played a perfect game.
Manning went 22-of-26 for 318 yards and four touchdowns on the night. He finished with a quarterback rating of 157.2. He also did that in just three quarters.
Not only did he post great numbers, Manning threw the ball right where it had to be on nearly every play. Even after he broke the record, he hit Demaryius Thomas for a 40-yard touchdown. He made a terrific throw on the play.
""I'm very humbled and I'm very honored. I think about how grateful I am for all the teammates/coaches I've played with/for." -Peyton Manning
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 20, 2014"
After the third quarter, the Broncos decided to bring Brock Osweiler into the game, something that rarely happens in the regular season. That was a sign of how good Denver was in this game.
Osweiler came in and threw just one pass. On that play, he made a good throw, Isaiah Burse was just unable to bring it in.
Still, Osweiler's play isn't going to bring the grade down much.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
It has taken more time than many fans probably would have liked, but Ronnie Hillman has looked very good over the last two weeks.
Hillman put together another solid outing against San Francisco, carrying the ball 14 times for 74 yards. He also had two touchdowns on the night.
The first of those came from 37 yards out in which Hillman burst through the hole and outran everyone to find the end zone. This was easily the best run of Hillman's career to this point.
Juwan Thompson provides a very nice complement as well. He had 30 yards on six carries in the game and could prove to be a good option in games when Denver is trying to run out clock to grind out a win.
On the night, the Broncos ran for 115 yards and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. The passing offense is dangerous, but if the Broncos can keep running the ball like this, they will be very tough to beat.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 10
Demaryius Thomas has basically been unstoppable since the Broncos returned from their bye week.
Prior to the bye, Thomas caught 13 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown. Since then, he has 26 receptions for 521 yards and five touchdowns.
"Demaryius Thomas is a BEAST! Last 3 games: 26 rec, 521 yds, 5 TD pic.twitter.com/RFuLeU00V5
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 20, 2014"
On Sunday, he made eight grabs for 171 yards and two touchdowns. He was also the man who caught No. 509 from Peyton Manning.
Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders each caught three passes and they each had a touchdown. Tight end Julius Thomas was kept relatively quiet, gaining just 27 yards on four catches.
Ronnie Hillman was very effective in the running game, but he also contributed as a receiver out of the backfield. Hillman finished the game with four receptions for 29 yards.
Grade: A
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Line
4 of 10
San Francisco was missing several key members of their defense, including Aldon Smith and Patrick Willis, allowing the Broncos to get the best of the battle in the trenches.
The Denver offensive line held up as Peyton Manning stood back and picked the San Francisco defense apart. In the running game, they opened up good holes for Ronnie Hillman.
On Hillman's two touchdown runs, the offensive line was instrumental. They opened up a big hole for Hillman on his 37-yard scamper in the third quarter. On Denver's very next possession, Hillman scored a one-yard touchdown in which the line pushed San Francisco defenders several yards backwards.
Paul Cornick was given the start at the right tackle position, and that seemed to be a curious call, at least in the early going.
Cornick was flagged for a false start early in the game. He was also beaten very badly for a sack in which Manning had no choice but to just take a fall.
"Paul Cornick beaten -- badly -- by Aaron Lynch on the outside. Lynch bounced off Cornick as though he had springs in his hands.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 20, 2014"
The Broncos are apparently looking for better play at the position than they have gotten from Chris Clark, but Cornick wasn't any better on Sunday night.
It seems the team would be best served to move Orlando Franklin back to the right tackle position and try a different player out at guard. Perhaps Ben Garland?
Grade: B-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
When the Broncos get up big on an opponent and force them to throw the ball on nearly every down, it becomes very hard to deal with their pass rush.
DeMarcus Ware took advantage of the big lead Denver had on Sunday night, getting three sacks on Colin Kaepernick. Malik Jackson had one as well as the Broncos came up with a total of six sacks on the night.
"#Broncos DE DeMarcus Ware is now in 15th place on the NFL’s all-time list with 123 career sacks. Has 2 sacks tonight, 6 on season.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) October 20, 2014"
Sylvester Williams played well in the middle of the line, registering two tackles but also getting a hit on the quarterback.
The defensive line did an excellent job defending the run as well.
The 49ers are a run-first team and have been for many years. On Sunday night, the Broncos took them completely out of their element.
San Francisco called just 18 run plays on the night as they fell behind early. They had just 62 yards rushing, and Frank Gore was held to just 20 yards on nine carries.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Broncos played this game without Danny Trevathan, but they did well with what they did have.
Brandon Marshall paced the team with eight tackles. He also had one pass defensed. Nate Irving chipped in with two tackles, and Lerentee McCray got in on the action with two tackles as well.
Von Miller was a huge factor. Miller harassed Colin Kaepernick, sacking him twice and hurrying him on several other plays. Miller was credited with three hits on the quarterback.
Kaepernick is well known for his ability to pick up big yardage with his legs when plays break down. He didn't do that against Denver, rushing for just 18 yards.
"Von Miller is now leading the NFL with 8.0 sacks and playing lights-out run defense. You'd never know he's coming off ACL surgery.
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) October 20, 2014"
Trevathan is a player Denver will miss, but they know when they have Miller playing at the level he is, they have one of the most disruptive defensive players in football.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
Despite having to defend against a team throwing often in San Francisco, Denver held its own.
The 49ers attempted 39 passes on Sunday night, completing 24 of them. However, the Broncos held them to 6.7 yards per catch.
Colin Kaepernick was able to attack the middle of the field with Stevie Johnson, who was about the only player for San Francisco who had a good game. Brandon Lloyd got behind the defense a couple of times too and probably should have had a long touchdown in the third quarter.
But the Broncos got a great team effort from their secondary. Aqib Talib got an interception for the second game in a row. Quinton Carter made a nice play to break up a pass on a key third down, and Chris Harris made an excellent tackle of Anquan Boldin.
San Francisco called a bubble screen to the physical Boldin, but Harris didn't bite, instead blowing up the play with an immediate tackle for a loss of yardage. Harris also had two pass breakups on the night.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
The Denver special teams wasn't needed to do much against San Francisco; the offense and defense did all the heavy lifting.
Britton Colquitt punted the ball four times, averaging 42.8 yards per kick. He dropped two of those punts inside the San Francisco 20-yard line.
Brandon McManus had an easy night. McManus didn't attempt a field goal, though he did kick six extra points.
Isaiah Burse still hasn't been able to do much in the punt-return game, but with the offense Denver has, all he really needs to do is safely field the ball.
McManus booted almost all of his kicks out of the back of the end zone, a benefit of the thin air in Denver. Last week against the New York Jets, he wasn't getting his kickoffs quite as deep.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
When Peyton Manning is throwing the ball as well as he was Sunday night, you may not even need a good coach. The play-calling has to be pretty easy as well.
One thing that was refreshing to see was the fact that the Broncos didn't really let up on the 49ers in this game as they have in the past. Sure, they brought Brock Osweiler into the game, but up 42-10, the result wasn't in doubt.
A key sequence in the game came after Aqib Talib intercepted a pass with Denver leading 21-10. On the very next snap, Manning took a shot to Demaryius Thomas, resulting in a 40-yard touchdown. This put Denver up 28-10, and they never looked back.
Before the throw, Manning had already broken the record. It would have been easy to get conservative with the play-calling. But they kept their foot on the gas pedal, and that is the attitude Denver needs to stick with offensively.
On the defensive side of the ball, coordinator Jack Del Rio was helped by the big lead his offense gave him. The play-calling became pretty simple at that point—send as many people as possible at Colin Kaepernick.
Grade: B
Overall Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: A
Running Back: B+
Wide Receiver: A
Offensive Line: B-
Defensive Line: B+
Linebacker: B+
Secondary: B
Special Teams: B+
Coaching: B
Overall Grade: A-
The grades are all high this time around due to the fact that Denver played their most complete game of the season so far. It was a total team win.
While Peyton Manning will grab all the headlines because he now holds the record for career touchdown passes, the Broncos have so much more than that.
They have what should be considered the most potent offense in the league, and the defense they have assembled is right up there with the best as well.
Paul Cornick at right tackle was about the only negative in this game, so the Broncos may want to re-evaluate that decision. However, when they play like they did on Sunday night, they will be incredibly difficult to beat.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
