49ers vs. Broncos preview: Niners host surging Denver team in Week 14

49ers X-factors and players to watch

Marquise Goodwin

The 49ers’ most explosive playmaker is back, which means fewer stacked boxes, less press coverage and more room for San Francisco’s offense to operate. The last time Goodwin returned from injury, the Green Bay Packers paid the price for failing to take the former track-and-field star’s presence into account. After reviewing the film from Goodwin’s 126-yard, two-touchdown performance in Week 6, expect Denver’s secondary to pay extra attention to the speedy wideout, particularly with the absence of former All-Pro cornerback Chris Harris.

Dante Pettis

Pettis filled in admirably for Goodwin and Garcon as the 49ers’ No. 1 wideout over the past two weeks. Pettis led the team with 77 receiving yards and scored San Francisco’s lone touchdown against the Bucs, before adding another 129 yards and a pair of scores against Seattle. With Goodwin’s return, the Broncos’ secondary won’t be focusing on Pettis, who should see his share of big-play opportunities throughout the afternoon.

49ers offensive line

The 49ers’ offensive line had one of their worst performances of the season in Week 13. This week, the first job of the Niner’s big men up front will be to protect 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens from Denver’s dangerous pass rush, which features two edge rushers with double-digit sacks — Von Miller and Bradley Chubb —  giving the 49ers’ rookie QB the time he needs to hit his receivers downfield. San Francisco’s offensive line will also need to open holes for Wilson, who is considerably slower than Breida but is difficult to bring down once he gets going.

49ers defensive line

In order for the 49ers to win on Sunday, they will first need to keep Lindsay under wraps. This starts first with the Niners’ defensive line, who had a poor showing in Week 13. Second, San Francisco will need their defensive line to pressure Keenum into reverting to his interception-prone ways. Winning the turnover battle will be key for the 49ers against the Broncos — a sentiment which was echoed by Predominantly Orange‘s Co-Editor and Site Expert Tylor Walden during our Q&A session earlier this week.

Robert Saleh

Before last week’s game, we said 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh needed “a strong rebound game against the Seahawks after the 49ers’ defensive coordinator had no answer for Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston in Week 12.” Unfortunately, instead of rebounding, Saleh regressed in Week 13. Every poor performance by Saleh forces Shanahan to answer more questions about Saleh’s competency and his long-term future with the team. Saleh needs to scheme quarterback pressure if his defensive line is unable to make the opposing QB uncomfortable. The longer Saleh is unable or unwilling to complete this task, the more games the Niners will lose, and the sooner the team will be forced to make a coaching change.