The San Francisco 49ers received the opening kick, and Mac Jones took the field with Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Watkins as the starting wide receivers. Speaking of Watkins, he made an impression on the first drive, catching a deep pass from Jones:
Patrick Taylor Jr. would cap off a run in the red zone to give the 49ers an early 7-0 lead. Jones looked sharp early, and Robinson was also involved. I think we can get accustomed to seeing Robinson targeted heavily.
Upton Stout didn’t suit up. Alfred Collins played one series. We still saw a defense full of backups force a punt against Bo Nix and the Denver starters. The second drive yielded an even better result. Bo Nix did his best Jimmy Garoppolo impression with an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, giving the Niners an early 9-0 lead.
It wouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows for Jones as he tried to find Watkins on a comeback outside of the numbers, but the ball was underthrown and late. Whether it’s the regular season, preseason, or practice, you’re lucky to get those passes back. Jones didn’t, and that would be his first interception of the game.
Dallis Flowers made an impressive tackle in run support. It was a similar play in which Taylor Jr. scored a touchdown, where the cornerback is unblocked, and the running back needs to make a play. Taylor Jr. did. Denver’s back did not. Darrell Luter nearly had an interception in the end zone on the drive. That pass breakup limited the Broncos to a field goal to make it 9-3.
The 49ers’ special teams almost made it two quarters without any blunders. Denver came close to scoring a touchdown on a punt return, returning one for 25 yards. Thomas Morstead’s punt was only 39 yards. So, a double whammy there.
Tatum Bethune was shaken up and needed medical attention. The trainers looked like they were spatting Bethune’s right ankle and adding as much tape as they could so he could function. Bethune ended up walking off the field. Bethune would end up being questionable to return.
The biggest takeaway from the first half was the different looks from Robert Saleh. We saw blitzes off the edge from defensive backs, edge rushers crossing the faces of offensive tackles, and more than your typical Cover 3. It can not be understated how much of an upgrade it will be for the 49ers to have Saleh calling the plays.
Carter Bradley made his 49ers debut. He threw an interception directly to the linebacker, which was suboptimal. On the broadcast, Fred Warner said, “That’s all right, we’ll get it back.”
At the end of the first half, the secondary had a busted coverage. Darrell Luter Jr. and Chase Lucas both went with the underneath route, and that left a wide open receiver in the end zone for a touchdown. That won’t make Saleh happy. Denver led 13-9.
Rookie safety Marques Sigle was questionable to return with a knee injury.
Former 49ers wideout Trent Sherfield got behind Flowers toward the end of the half for a touchdown. The play was reviewed, but it looked like Sherfield was able to get both feet down for the catch. The call on the field would stand, and Denver took a 20-9 lead.
Ameer Abdullah went down with an apparent rib injury in the third quarter. That came after he fumbled. He was questionable to return. The 49ers were already thin at the position. An injured veteran coughing up the football could mean we see somebody different in his uniform as soon as next week.
Rookie Nick Martin missed a pair of tackles on the next drive. That was one of his weaknesses coming out of Oklahoma State. We also saw Martin’s closing speed and athleticism on full display in the third quarter. He’s young. Mistakes are inevitable. It’s about how quickly he can become consistent. A penalty saved Martin from what would have been a critical missed tackle on third down.
It was unclear whether his night was done or not, but Bradley left a lot to be desired at quarterback. He was 6-for-14 for 32 yards and had a passer rating of 20.5. Last preseason, Bradley completed 50 percent of his passes. This is who he is, yet the 49ers insist on Gus Bradley’s son having a roster spot.
Tanner Mordecai would take over for Bradley in the fourth quarter. Mordecai fumbled attempting to pass during his first series. The 49ers went for it in Broncos’ territory on 4th & 4 with Mordecai, but his pass was short of the sticks and the offense turned the ball over on downs.
Tre Brown made a tackle on fourth down to prevent Denver from picking up a first down. Brown started for the Seattle Seahawks to begin last season. He was thought to come in and battle for a starting position, but it’s never a good sign if you’re playing in the first quarter of a preseason game.
Modecai joined the interception party with a playground type of play. It’s a play you throw into the stands and live for another down. But when you’re fighting for roster spots and trying to make an impression, you go above and beyond. That mindset backfired against Mordecai on that interception.
It was tough to tell whether linebacker Stone Blanton or cornerback Jakob Robinson forced a fumble that was nearly recovered by the defense toward the end of the game. Regardless, that’s a player Saleh will be happy with. My initial thought was that Robinson forced the fumble, watching it live.
The Broncos added one final touchdown before the two-minute warning to make it 30-9. The Broncos scored 30 unanswered points after the 49ers got out to an early lead. Two more preseason games before we get the real deal.
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