49ers vs. Broncos: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers dropped their third preseason game of the 2015 season to the Denver Broncos on Saturday night 19-12.

Despite holding a slim lead late in the fourth quarter, the 49ers could not keep the Broncos offense out of the end zone in the waning minutes of the contest. A costly pass-interference penalty against 49ers cornerback Mylan Hicks opened up the opportunity for Denver to punch in a game-winning touchdown.

Overall, San Francisco's defense put forth a commendable effort against the high-powered Broncos offense. The 49ers offense, especially along the offensive line, was far more problematic.

The 49ers have just one offensive touchdown during the preseason. That streak continued through Week 3 of the preseason as San Francisco was forced to rely solely on field goals for its offense.

Granted, the Broncos defense is talented and deep, but this issue is concerning to say the least.

Both teams' first-string units played the majority of the first half. Week 3 of the preseason frequently resembles what teams will look like during the regular season. Denver had the scoring edge going into halftime 8-3.

San Francisco's second teamers sparked a comeback in the second half, but the lead couldn't hold.

With the first wave of roster cuts on the horizon—NFL rosters will be cut from 90 to 75 players after this weekend—what news, insight and notes can be accumulated following this intriguing contest?

Let's take a look.

Position Grades for 49ers

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert continued his strong preseason campaign in Denver.

Position	Grade
QB	B-
RB	B
WR	D-
TE	B
OL	F
DL	D
LB	A-
DB	C
Special Teams	A-
Coaching	C

Offensively, the 49ers were bad. Defensively, San Francisco was good. It's almost that simple.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick's seemingly absent passer stats continued through Week 3 of the preseason. Although the 49ers' signal-caller did break out some substantial rushing gains in the second quarter for a total of 53 yards. 

And No. 2 quarterback Blaine Gabbert completed nine passes out of 11 attempts for 96 yards.

But the offensive line, especially along the right side, proved to be the most problematic from San Francisco's offensive efforts. The 49ers gave up four sacks and six tackles for a loss.

The O-line's struggles prompted head coach Jim Tomsula to suggest there may be some changes in the forthcoming future, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.

The receiving game wasn't much of a factor for San Francisco. Although, wide receiver Bruce Ellington and tight ends Garrett Celek and Blake Bell made some impact on the stat sheet.

San Francisco's typically strong defensive line was also frequently pushed around by Denver's O-line—an aspect frequently pointed out by KPIX Channel 5 commentator Tim Ryan during the game.

The 49ers gave up a total of 110 yards on the ground.

But the San Francisco linebackers made a notable impact. All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman headlined this group with nine tackles and two sacks of Denver quarterback Peyton Manning.

Despite the costly penalty against cornerback Hicks in the fourth quarter, the 49ers pass defense held Broncos quarterbacks Manning and Brock Osweiler to 207 yards on 29 completions. Manning had just 124 of those yards and posted zero touchdowns against one interception—an end-zone pick from second-year corner Kenneth Acker, who is having a strong preseason thus far.

San Francisco's offensive star wasn't running back Jarryd Hayne. It was backup kicker Corey Acosta having accounted for nine of the 49ers' 12 points during the game.

Bowman Continues to Impress

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) brought down quarterback Peyton Manning twice for two sacks during the matchup.

If anyone wasn't sure whether or not Bowman was back after his three-snap, three-tackle performance against the Dallas Cowboys last week, he or she was assured during the game against Denver that Bowman is just fine.

Bowman sacked Manning twice during the game and also led the 49ers with nine total tackles.

Joe Fann of 49ers.com described Bowman's efforts:

"

On the following drive, the linebacker thwarted a red-zone opportunity for the Broncos, sacking Peyton Manning twice in four plays. Bowman blitzed on both occasions and Denver failed to get a hand on him. On the second of the two sacks, Bowman timed his blitz perfectly, bringing down Manning immediately following the snap.

"

The standout linebacker, who appears to be at 100 percent health, is helping reveal why the 49ers defense should still be considered a strength despite the numerous offseason losses that plagued this unit.

He was also joined by inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite, who had a nice effort with five tackles—one of which was for a loss.

San Francisco is going to be leaning heavily on this tandem in the upcoming season. And we can hope that Bowman and Wilhoite both can continue to be a force on defense.

Young Cornerbacks Are Starting to Impress

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Cornerback Kenneth Acker picked off quarterback Peyton Manning for the 49ers' lone interception.

Veteran cornerback Shareece Wright started this preseason lining up with the first-team defense. 

But that job went to second-year backs Keith Reaser and Acker in Denver per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.

And both players' efforts looked promising.

Acker picked off Manning in the second quarter—a would-be touchdown grab intended for Broncos wideout Demaryius Thomas. Acker foolishly flipped the ball away before the whistle was blown, but the mental error did not cost the 49ers.

In all, Acker finished the contest with two tackles, two passes defended and the pick.

Reaser had three tackles during the game. The young cornerback, who was redshirted during his rookie season last year, has an excellent shot to assume the No. 2 cornerback position alongside veteran Tramaine Brock.

And that Wright did not get involved in the action until later in the game suggests this is the direction in which the 49ers are headed.

The Permeable O-Line

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was frequently under pressure from a relentless Broncos pass rush.

First, you have to give credit where credit is due. Denver's crop of pass-rushers is elite. And Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware led those efforts against San Francisco on Saturday.

The Broncos totaled three sacks during the game, but that doesn't tell the entire story.

San Francisco's offensive line, especially on the right, was all but awful during the game. The 49ers have gone through a number of different preseason combinations along this side. 

According to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, San Francisco's starting unit consisted (from left to right) of left tackle Joe Staley, left guard Alex Boone, center Marcus Martin, right guard Ian Silberman and right tackle Erik Pears.

Pears gave up a safety to Ware on Kaepernick in the second quarter, which followed a poor punt-return decision by running back Reggie Bush.

Second-string linemen Jordan Devey and Joe Looney didn't fare much better.

Three tackles for a loss, six sacks and three quarterback hits don't bode well for this unit. The O-line remains one of the primary worries for San Francisco heading into the 2015 season. And this unit's efforts in Denver don't inspire much confidence.

Tomsula on the O-Line Issues

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Head coach Jim Tomsula expressed his concern with the offensive line.

Aside from left tackle Staley and left guard Boone, there are relatively few conclusions regarding what San Francisco's offensive line will look like in Week 1 of the regular season.

And that's not a good thing.

The 49ers have employed a number of different combinations along the line this preseason. With Daniel Kilgore still recovering from his leg injury, second-year pro Martin got the start at center in Denver. And he was supported by rookie guard Silberman and veteran tackle Pears to his right. 

Still, the results were not promising. San Francisco lacked consistent push up front and struggled to maintain any sort of pass protection for much of the contest. 

The 49ers were held to just two completions and zero passing yards in the first half. And the offense failed to get a first down until its fourth possession, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area.

"O-line wise, we had lil bit of struggle but things [are] becoming more clear," Coach Tomsula stated, according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. "[We'll] reveal starters in next day or two."

Pears could still get the start at right tackle in Week 1 of the regular season. Or it could be rookie tackle Trenton Brown. 

Kaepernick followed up Tomsula's statement, per Maiocco:

"

This is not any concern on this team. That’s what the preseason is for. It’s to work those things out and see who we have in different positions. That’s what we’re doing and we’re working to get ready for the regular season.

"

49ers fans will be hoping Kaepernick and Tomsula are right.

Tomsula on Penalties

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The 49ers had 13 penalties in Denver, which resembled teams from years prior.

San Francisco had a number of problematic issues against Denver on Saturday. 

But the primary problem was the number of flags thrown against the 49ers.

The 49ers committed 13 penalties for 113 yards during the game. And the most costly came in the waning minutes of the game when cornerback Hicks was flagged for a end-zone pass-interference call when the young defensive back failed to turn his head to track the ball.

Hicks' mistake ended up giving Denver a 1st-and-goal possession on the 49ers' 1-yard line. The Broncos punched in the game-winning touchdown as a result.

"Today the thing that bothered me the most was the [13] penalties," Coach Tomsula said, per the team's website. "We've got to get that under control and cleaned up."

Thirteen penalties sounded more like a Jim Harbaugh-era 49ers team that had become known for being flagged on a frequent basis. And the nature of some of the penalties were problematic. 

Fortunately, this is the preseason. These exhibition games afford the opportunity for teams to clean up this aspect of the game. And, hopefully, the 49ers will be capable enough to rectify this issue in preparation for their regular-season efforts.

Bowman on His Strong Efforts

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Bowman led all 49ers in tackles (9) in Denver.

Bowman's presence on the field has already exceeded the expectations of many skeptics wondering whether or not the perennial All-Pro would return to his stellar form in 2015.

But Bowman doesn't feel as if he's at 100 percent.

"[The] Broncos let me know I'm playing well," Bowman said, per the team's website. "But I hold myself to a higher standard. Until I'm pleasing NaVorro, I'm not happy."

Even if Bowman isn't entirely pleased with his efforts, a nine-tacke, two-sack performance is likely more than enough to convince those around him that the linebacker is back to elite form. 

Hopefully this trend continues. Bowman's presence does more than just provide a bona fide threat on defense. He has emerged as a leader of the team both on and off the field, and nights like these will be more than enough indication of what it takes to make such a tremendous impact.

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.

Peter Panacy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him (@PeterPanacy) on Twitter.