Broncos Vs. 49ers: Game Recap

Broncos Vs. 49ers: Game Recap

Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers

The Broncos got off to a solid 2007 season winning their first preseason contest, 17-13 against the 49ers. Both Jay Cutler and Alex Smith had impressive opening drives and showcased why they are considered two of the NFL's best young quarterbacks. Smith went four-for-five with 58 yards passing, while leading two first quarter scoring drives. Cutler led a 67-yard scoring drive, but played only the first two series.

The Broncos enacted revenge from last year's fallout and crushing loss to the 49ers on New Year's Eve. San Francisco beat Denver on an improbable late field goal and won, 26-23, knocking the Broncos out of the playoffs. The Broncos started brutally efficient on Monday night and had San Fran playing catch up from the second quarter. Cutler led the hyped up Broncos offense down the field in an eight-play, 67 yard scoring march in the games first minutes--great start. However, this fist preseason game also had numerous missteps and bobbles. Head coach Mike Shanahan said, "We did some good things. We played hard, but not as well as we wanted to."

From the onset, the Broncos had the lead and control of the game even though they ended up loosing the time of possession battle as well as overall yardage, but a win is a win. Denver's offensive line protected well for Cutler, Patrick Ramsey and Darrell Hackney, while opening gaping holes for Travis Henry and Mike Bell. Henry added a one-yard touchdown run after he carried the load on the opening drive gaining 27 yards on five carries, shedding tacklers along the way to his first touchdown of 2007. "It was a lot of fun," Cutler said. "Travis ran the ball well. We had time to throw the ball and make plays, so it worked well." Cutler set up Henry with a smart, 16-yard tuck and run that showed me that Cutler is maturing--last year he would have thrown that pass and anything could have happened.

The defense got off to a much slower start than Cutler and the offense did. The 49ers scored 10 points in their first two series and this was without Pro Bowl and NFC leading rusher Frank Gore. Denver could not seem to stop the run through the middle as Maurice Hicks and Michael Robinson galloped for 55 yards on nine carries. Shanahan was not pleased and said, "Obviously, we've got a ways to go in the rush defense." Jim Bates has a new scheme in Denver and it will take some time to get everyone gelling, but with the attention this off-season on the defensive line, I was surprised to see the unit struggle against a Goreless 49ers team.

The defense was stingy in the red zone and did show life in the secondary. Hamza Abdullah and Steve Cargile added interceptions and Elvis Dumervil added pressure on Smith forcing the 49ers to settle for a Joe Nedney field goal. Nate Webster also played solid at middle linebacker and had a sweet stop on fourth down that killed another 49er scoring opportunity--the Broncos defense bent but did not break. The 49ers had a chance to win the game in the last two minutes, but linebacker Louis Green knocked down a tipped fourth-and-goal pass from Shaun Hill that ended the game. Denver held on five 49er forays inside the Denver 30-yard line, holding San Fran to a mere 13 points. "Anytime you hold a team to 13 points, you feel pretty good," Shanahan said.

The Broncos would regain the lead and never look back led by a 58-yard kick return from Quincy Morgan. Ramsey then hit Troy Fleming out of the backfield for a 3-yard touchdown. Bell carried the Bronco drive with 35 yards on five carries and ended the game with a productive 51 yards on 10 carries.

Ramsey led the Broncos on another drive that saw nice third down completions to Morgan and Domenik Hixon that allowed Brandon Pace to kick a 26-yard field goal that pushed the lead to 17-13. Ramsey finished with an interception and touchdown. Denver travels to Dallas for two practices before the Broncos and Cowboys face-off on Saturday, August 18.

From My Notepad

• Travis Henry looked awesome behind Cutler and the Denver fist-team offense--Henry is a bowling ball and will have a monster year in Denver.
• Denver had the run game going with Henry, Mike Bell and Cecil Sapp. Together they rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown
• Javon Walker had ran a nice post route and Cutler found him for a 24-yard strike. It looks like these two have built a solid rapport over the last two seasons--expect big things from this tandem in 2007.
• I like the pressure from John Engelberger, Tim Crowder and Dumerville--each had a sack and numerous quarterback pressures.
• The defensive line had issues in the middle, stopping the run--Bates needs to focus on this over the week and get the team ready for a run-heavy Dallas offense.
• Gerard Warren did not play--reports are that the Broncos are looking to trade him. If Warren is dealt, the Broncos will need Amon Gordon to really step it up.
• Nate Webster, Abdullah and Cargile played a solid game on defense. Webster led the team in tackles with six and Abdullah and Cargile added interceptions and two tackles each.
• Jarvis Moss, Kenny Peterson and Crowder all had slight injuries on Monday night. The three injuries should not have lasting effects--Moss has been rehabbing his sore knee that he sprained in training camp. Moss will likely not to see a lot of time against Dallas on Saturday allowing him more time to rehab and rest the knee.