49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had a marquee game on Sunday.
Shanahan passed Bill Walsh for the most games as a franchise head coach and notched his 95th win in that role against the Broncos. Brock Purdy threw two touchdowns, including a 56-yarder to tight end George Kittle just before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter.
That score pushed the 49ers lead to 24-14 and it stayed that way until the final buzzer. Broncos kicker Wil Lutz missed a 58-yard field goal with 1:18 left and Purdy just took a knee from there.
Purdy’s first touchdown went to Deebo Samuel and all three of the 49ers’ trips to the end zone came in the second half. Both teams were slow offensively in the first half and the score was 3-3 until 4:15 remained in the third quarter. That’s when Samuel scored and that touchdown came a few plays after Broncos punt returner Marvin Mims lost a fumble. It was the only turnover for either team and played a significant role when Christian McCaffrey capped a 74-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos responded with Jaylen Waddle’s first touchdown run for the team, but Kittle’s score snatched away all but the slimmest of hopes of another Bo Nix comeback victory. Nix finished the day 25 of 42 for 214 yards and the Broncos offense has been too inconsistent so far this season. This will likely bring some questions to head coach Sean Payton as to whether he plans to take over playcalling responsibilities in the future.
Payton will also face some questions about his team’s health. Cornerbacks Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss were both forced to leave the game with injuries and receiver Pat Bryant joined them in the locker room after being carted off the field in the third quarter. They hope to get some or all of them back when they face the Chargers in Week 5.
Purdy was 19 of 30 for 218 yards and McCaffrey finished the day with 70 yards from scrimmage. Receiver Mike Evans had five catches for 76 yards while dealing with a rib injury and the 49ers’ injured list expanded to include fullback Kyle Juszczyk when he left with a knee injury.
They hope to reunite with him next Sunday for a trip to Seattle that will determine the early leader in the NFC West race.
Gn sports
