49ers vs. Broncos: Previewing Denver's Preseason Week 3 Matchup
Week 3 of the preseason is often considered the dress rehearsal for the regular season. As a result, we should expect to see the starters for the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers get extended playing time when the two teams collide in Denver on Saturday night.
The Broncos are coming off a 14-10 victory over the Houston Texans last week in which the team came from behind to win late after nearly gifting the game to Houston following a defensive touchdown by the Texans.
It had to feel good for head coach Gary Kubiak to get a win over his former team, even if the game doesn't count in the standings.
Peyton Manning saw his first action of the preseason and went 8-of-14 for 52 yards. He still needs his reps in Kubiak's new offense, so we could see him for the entire first half on Saturday.
Here, we have a complete preview for this game, including the latest news on injuries as well as key matchups to look for when these two teams take the field.
Location: Sports Authority Field, Denver
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: KTVD (Local)
News and Notes
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Evan Mathis Brought in to Bolster Offensive Line
The Broncos made a big move on Tuesday by signing free-agent offensive lineman Evan Mathis. The move not only adds depth to the offensive line, it gives the team a new option to start at one of its guard slots. Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com details the one-year deal here.
Mathis spent the last four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was a two-time Pro Bowl selection. He has also played for the Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals.
Though rookie Max Garcia was placed in the starting role shortly into training camp, the Broncos chose to bring in the veteran Mathis anyway. According to BSN Denver, Mathis won't play Saturday against the 49ers but will be the Week 1 starter when Denver hosts the Baltimore Ravens.
Let's hope he adjusts to his new surroundings quickly.
Brandon McManus Has Won Kicking Competition—For Now
To make room for Mathis, the Broncos decided to part ways with kicker Connor Barth, as reported by Andrew Mason of the team's official website.
As a result, the Broncos have essentially handed the kicking job to Brandon McManus. But it's not the first time that has happened. Denver chose to keep McManus last season, cutting veteran kicker Matt Prater.
McManus promptly became completely unreliable, forcing the team to sign Barth.
Barth was much more accurate than McManus, but his lack of leg strength became a growing concern, particularly on kickoffs.
The team was clearly convinced that McManus has improved.
"He's gotten consistent. Last year it was a concern," coach Gary Kubiak told Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post. "It was up to him to prove he could do it and up to this point, he's done that."
However, if McManus doesn't succeed, it appears the Broncos won't be able to turn to Barth. Just hours after his release from Denver, Chris Wesseling of NFL.com reported that Barth had reached a two-year agreement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his former team.
Emmanuel Sanders Still Missing from Practice
The Broncos are clearly being cautious concerning Emmanuel Sanders and his nagging hamstring injury. But the fact that he has yet to practice with the team or play in a preseason game has to be at least a slight concern.
Legwold reported that Sanders is slated to be ready for the season opener, according to Kubiak. However, he may not play at all this preseason.
In fact, if he misses this game against San Francisco, that will be all but a certainty. In the preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals, we will see mostly reserve players battling for a roster spot.
It will be a big boost to the offense if Sanders is on the field when Denver plays the Ravens in Week 1. But if he hasn't gotten any reps with Manning in a new offense, you'd have to consider that to be at least a little troubling.
Latest Injury News
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The Broncos have remained fortunate for the most part throughout camp and preseason in regard to injuries.
Aside from the season-ending injuries to Marvin Austin and Kyle Williams, the team has no major injuries to report. However, the Broncos narrowly escaped adding rookie linebacker Shane Ray to that list when he was rolled up on in the game against Houston.
As mentioned earlier, Sanders continues to try to get his hamstring right before the season gets underway. The only other significant name to mention is second-year defensive end Kenny Anunike, who recently underwent minor knee surgery.
The procedure revealed no major damage, as Mason noted on the team's official website. Fans could see Anunike return to the field and be ready for the season opener. That is, if he survives roster cuts.
Key Matchups
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Colin Kaepernick is still one of the league's most mobile quarterbacks. He also has one of the strongest arms and can make throws on the run. That will be a challenge for inside linebacker Brandon Marshall.
But if he is up to the task of limiting what Kaepernick does with the ball, he could be the most important player on the field.
Marshall will often "spy" Kaepernick in this game. Kaepernick must realize that Marshall is quick enough and athletic enough to chase him from one side of the field to the other. Marshall is the type of player who can frustrate a guy like Kaepernick, which could lead to some errors from the San Francisco quarterback.
Denver Kick Coverage vs. Jarryd Hayne:
Denver did a much better job in covering kicks against Houston than against the Seattle Seahawks the week before. In fact, the Broncos allowed a total of 54 yards on both kickoff and punt returns.
Former rugby player Jarryd Hayne has been an exciting player for the 49ers, particularly as a return man. He could be looking to do some damage against a team that gave up several big returns to the Seahawks while making a name for himself in the league at the same time.
This will be another good test for Joe DeCamillis and his kick coverage team.
Montee Ball vs. San Francisco Run Defense
Behind C.J. Anderson and the strong play of Ronnie Hillman this summer, Montee Ball is slowly losing his grip on his place in the Denver backfield. This game against San Francisco is going to be an important one for him.
Ball simply must find success running against San Francisco. If he can't, he may be looking for work elsewhere soon.
Juwan Thompson will make the roster, and the Broncos will have to decide if it's worth it to keep Ball or perhaps trade him to a team looking for help at the position. If Ball wants to stay in Denver, he needs to be effective in this game.
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Matchup X-Factor
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Denver Broncos X-Factor: Von Miller
This seems like an obvious pick, but fans may not realize just how dominant Von Miller stands to be this coming season.
San Francisco's pass protection better be up to par in this game or the Broncos' pass rush will have a field day. The Broncos have already accrued 12 sacks in the first two preseason games, and they could tack on several more in this one.
Last October during Denver's 42-17 win over San Francisco, the Broncos sacked Kaepernick six times. Two of those belonged to Miller.
Don't be surprised to see him get Kaepernick another two times on Saturday—in one half. In addition, he'll put constant pressure on him and force him to make tough plays. Expect to see Wade Phillips dial up the pressure in a big way in this game.
Prediction
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Though it is still just a preseason game, we should see the regulars for each team stay on the field for a good portion of it. With that being the case, it doesn't seem tough to see the outcome.
San Francisco is a team that looks like a shell of its former self. New head coach Jim Tomsula will have his hands full in trying to have as much success with the team as Jim Harbaugh did.
While San Francisco may be in rebuilding mode, Denver is a team still chasing a championship. With this being the Broncos' first preseason game at home, Kubiak and his squad should be eager to give the home crowd something to cheer about.
Expect to see Denver's best performance of the preseason in this game. With the regular season quickly approaching, a total team effort will be on display in this one.
Though it is preseason and anything can happen, the Broncos are just a much better team than the 49ers and, with the starters getting extra work, this one shouldn't be all that close.
Final Prediction: Broncos 24, 49ers 10
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