The Denver Broncos throttled the the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 30-9 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California in Week 1 of NFL preseason on Saturday evening.
Broncos starting quarterback Bo Nix had an underwhelming performance, going 6-of-11 passing for 31 yards and one safety (he was penalized for intentional grounding from his own end zone). After a punt on Denver’s opening drive and a safety on the second drive, the first-team offense got a third series following a Ja’Quan McMillian interception. The Broncos then went 26 yards on nine plays before settling for a 42-yard Wil Lutz field goal.
Denver rookie RJ Harvey started the game at running back and rushed seven times for 25 yards while adding one catch for four yards. J.K. Dobbins also had a four-yard reception. After the first-team offense got three drives, Harvey and Dobbins exited and Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie took over at running back in the second quarter.
Broncos second-string quarterback Jarrett Stidham took over in the second quarter and led a field goal drive on his first possession. Stidham then led two touchdown drives, first throwing an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end to Lucas Krull before later connecting with wide receiver Trent Sherfield on a 36-yard score. Following those two touchdowns, Denver led 20-9 going into halftime.
The Broncos defense continued to pour it on In the third quarter, when cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine intercepted a pass from quarterback Carter Bradley; unfortunately, it was nullified by a penalty on Eyioma Uwazurike. Later in the same drive, second-year safety J.L. Skinner forced a fumble that was recovered by rookie defensive lineman Sai’vion Jones. Denver’s offense capitalized on the turnover with a 45-yard Lutz field goal, making it 23 unanswered points since the first quarter. Stidham finished the game 14-of-15 for 136 yards for two touchdowns, adding 36 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Sam Elhinger entered the game in the fourth quarter, where he led the offense into the red zone before turning the ball over on downs. The Broncos forced a fourth turnover, a turnover on downs, against San Francisco quarterback Tanner Mordecai. The defense forced yet another turnover, an interception from undrafted free agent Joshua Pickett.
After Pickett’s interception, Ehlinger finished the drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Kaden Prieskorn to make the lead 30-9 with 2:15 left in the game.
The Broncos remained virtually unscathed by injury, with offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton limping off the field in the third quarter.
Up next for the Broncos is a home game against the Arizona Cardinals next week (full preseason schedule).
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos vs. 49ers final score: 30-9