Team Grades: 49ers Unable To Prevent Peyton Manning From Making History, Lose Big To Broncos
By Jerrell Richardson
The 49ers went to Mile High Stadium with the betting odds against them, undermanned and trying to prevent a historic night from happening on their watch. San Francisco was unable to do much of anything right all night, and as they typically do, lost as a team. Few gave them a chance to win the game, so the 49ers knew it was going to take a contribution from everyone to pull off the upset, and they fell short across the board. The scoreboard got out of control early in the 3rd, but it was clear who the better team was from the opening kickoff. A loss is a loss, but after falling 42-17 the 49ers were embarrassed. While it’s important to keep things in perspective, if this was a Super Bowl preview, San Francisco has to rethink some things.
Offense: C-
While most of the blame will go to Colin Kaepernick, the offensive woes of the 49ers was not due to the play of #7. His numbers aren’t that great, but he had little help, and was the victim of several drops. His only glaring mistake was a misread in the 3rd quarter resulting in his only interception. Otherwise he played well. Kaepernick completed 24 of 39 throws for 263 yards and a touchdown. He was under pressure for most of the night, as a makeshift offensive line yielded 6 sacks. In the rare occasion he was given time to throw, Kaepernick delivered the ball.
The 49ers leading receivers, as they have been all season were Anquan Boldin and Stevie Johnson. Boldin has played well since putting one a 49er uniform, so his numbers are no surprise. The contribution from Stevie Johnson though is a welcome surprise. Johnson led the team with 79 yards and a touchdown and continues to be a viable target for Kaepernick. Despite his solid play, Boldin did drop a touchdown pass in the first half that would have given some confidence to a team that was on the ropes the entire night.
Not helping out the passing game was the ground attack. The 49ers rushed the ball 18 times for a measly 62 yards. Gore was held to 2.2 yards per rush and as has been the case in all the 49er defeats this season, the running game failed to show up and the game plan failed to stay committed to the a balanced attack.
Defense: C-
The 49er defense didn’t have a chance. While they made some plays, and forced some punts, Peyton Manning showed why he is one of the best to ever play the position. He needed 3 touchdowns to make history, and he took care of that in the first half. Manning put on a clinic, completing 22 of 26 attempts for 318 yards and 4 touchdowns. He took what the defense gave him and threw touchdowns to 3 different receivers.
His favorite target was of course Demaryius Thomas who had another big game. The Denver wide out hauled in 8 catches for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading the Broncos aerial attack. Their passing attack was so dominant that it made up for a lack of a running game. After the final whistle, Denver finished with 115 yards on only 27 attempts, and 37 came on one run so don’t let the final number fool you. The defense, without Patrick Willis did an admirable job against the run.
The team’s leading tacklers were the two linebackers, Michael Wilhoite, and Willis’ replacement, Chris Borland, both who tallied 7 solo tackles. Despite this, neither stood out in a positive light. In fact Borland had a chance on the goal line to stop Ronnie Hillman from scoring and was unable to keep the back out of the end zone. They didn’t get any help from the offense of special teams, and had several new faces on the field, but the defense failed to do its part Sunday Night to earn a win.
Special Teams: C-
It was a sign of things to come when the normally reliable Phil Dawson missed his first field goal attempt of the game. It was a far from a chip shot, 51-yard try but one that Dawson has made look routine this season. Not only did his miss fail to put points on the board, he set up the Broncos with a short field that resulted in them scoring a touchdown. Dawson did hit his other attempt, but it was essentially an extra point distance wise (22 yards).
The only bright spot all night was punter Andy Lee. His 54.4 per punt average on 5 punts at least forced the Broncos into long drives, but in the end this only resulted in more yards for the Denver offense.
A Week Off To Regroup
The 49ers played an offensive juggernaut, and had to do so with a lot of new pieces on defense. So while the end result if disappointing, it’s certainly not time to hit the panic button in San Francisco. They have a week off, and hope to get some players back from injuries that will make a marked difference on the field for the team. For the 3rd time this season, the 49ers played a poor game, and the result was a defeat. While the final score is demoralizing, the fact remains that San Francisco knows that this is not the same team they will have on the field if the two meet up down the road. Don’t forget, the 49ers were supposed to lose this game, just not by this much. If the two teams lined up again tomorrow, while the outcome might not change, it would be a lot closer in the end.
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Jerrell Richardson is a Bay Area native who due to a college career at San Diego State University has grown an appreciation for all things sports related in California. His heart will always remain in San Francisco though where he currently resides and covers everything from the San Francisco 49ers and Giants to the San Jose Sharks and California Bears Baseball team. Jerrell is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
