49ers vs. Broncos: 5 predictions for San Francisco in preseason bout

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 20: Quarterback Paxton Lynch #12 of the Denver Broncos rushes under pressure from cornerback Dontae Johnson #36 of the San Francisco 49ers a preseason NFL game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 20: Quarterback Paxton Lynch #12 of the Denver Broncos rushes under pressure from cornerback Dontae Johnson #36 of the San Francisco 49ers a preseason NFL game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers visit the Denver Broncos in Week 2 of the 2019 NFL preseason. And while it’s somewhat silly to dish out predictions for an exhibition game, we do it anyway.

A week ago, the San Francisco 49ers toppled the visiting Dallas Cowboys 17-9 in both teams’ first contest of the 2019 NFL preseason period.

And it looked little like a regular-season game, of course, as head coach Kyle Shanahan elected to rest nearly all his starters and established veterans.

That won’t necessarily be the case in Week 2 of the preseason, though, when the Niners take to the road to visit the Denver Broncos.

Denver and San Francisco engaged in two joint practices leading up to the exhibition bout. And while Shanahan and Co. may still elect to keep a good chunk of his veterans limited during the game, if active at all, one would expect at least the early phases to resemble a regular-season game.

To a point.

Usually, prediction pieces are kind of silly for preseason games. These contests are less about wins and losses, rather they’re more about evaluating players vying for key roles and spots on the 53-man roster, which will be announced at the end of the month. It’s also about generating chemistry between various units, too, and that might be important with some of the injuries the 49ers are dealing with, currently.

Either way, it’s still fun to offer up predictions, even for these kinds of games. And that’s what we’ll do here, dishing out what could end up happening when the Niners face off with their friendly foes, the Broncos, on Monday.