The 49ers face off against the Broncos on Sunday Night Football in Week 3, and it’s fair to say the Niners have some distinct edges in this matchup.
The San Francisco 49ers originally opened up as road underdogs for their Week 3 matchup against the 1-1 Denver Broncos. Still, perhaps oddsmakers have recognized just how many issues Denver is dealing with under first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett over two games into the young 2022 season.
According to the oddsmakers at WynnBET, the Niners are 1.5-point road favorites.
Granted, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson owns a 16-4 career regular-season record against San Francisco, yet all those games came back when he was with the Seattle Seahawks and fully immersed in that NFC West rivalry.
Perhaps Wilson’s new digs present the opportunity for the 49ers to flip the script, finally.
The Broncos coughed up an embarrassing loss to Wilson’s old team in Week 1 before narrowly squeaking by the lowly Houston Texans at home in Week 2, presenting the opportunity for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad to proverbially “lay it on” this Sunday.
Pound for pound, it’s probably safe to argue the Niners are more of a complete team, and despite being on the road at a mile-high elevation for a prime-time bout on Sunday Night Football, one might expect San Francisco to utilize these four specific advantages in Week 3.
49ers advantage No. 4: Broncos are being hit by penalty bug in a big way
The 49ers were hit with a whopping 12 penalties for 99 yards during their Week 1 loss against the Chicago Bears, and many have argued that’s a primary reason why that particular bout didn’t turn into a win.
Yet the Niners corrected this, being flagged just once during their Week 2 victory over the Hawks.
Still, if one is wondering whether or not San Francisco’s issues with yellow flags are bad, one needs to look no further than what Hackett and the Broncos are dealing with.
Through two weeks, Denver leads the league with an astounding 25 penalties against, including 10 of the pre-snap variety, and those can be awfully perplexing.
Sign of poor coaching? We’ll get to that in a moment.
On top of that, the Broncos’ 171 penalty yards against rank second only behind the Texans’ 189, whereas the 49ers’ own cleanup efforts have resulted in just 130 penalty yards through two weeks.
Advantage: Niners.
49ers advantage No. 3: Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett is in over his head
One might argue Nathaniel Hackett rode his laurels as the Green Bay Packers’ former offensive coordinator thanks to exemplary play from quarterback Aaron Rodgers into a head coaching gig in Denver for which he was ill-prepared.
Two weeks in the books, that appears to be the case.
As FanSided NFL insider Matt Verderame pointed out in the video below, not only has Hackett been slammed for gaffing on that now-infamous 64-yard field-goal attempt in Week 1 instead of trying to let Russell Wilson convert a 4th-and-5 attempt, but the head coach’s clock management has been an utter disaster:
To quote Verderame, Hackett being “in over his head” is quite the unfortunate development for a Broncos team competing in the toughest division within football right now, the AFC West.
Sure, some San Francisco fans might feel it’s worth giving Kyle Shanahan some grief, especially for what happened with regards to quarterback Trey Lance‘s serious ankle injury suffered in Week 2.
But, if one is to compare both Shanahan and Hackett side by side, the 49ers don’t just have a clear advantage here, it’s completely one-sided.
49ers advantage No. 2: Russell Wilson isn’t quite ‘cooking’ just yet
Denver adding Russell Wilson turned into one of the biggest storylines of the offseason, and there’s no doubt the Niners were plenty happy to see him finally out of the NFC West.
Still having to play him once this season, though, at least San Francisco can cite the reality Wilson hasn’t totally jelled within his new offense, and the quarterback’s numbers through two weeks have been less than impressive:
- 58.8 completion percentage
- 2-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio
- 559 yards passing
- Five sacks taken
- 86.5 passer rating
Wilson was supposed to be the difference-maker for the Broncos, who were aiming to get out from the AFC West’s basement and into the postseason picture for the first time in what seems like forever.
Two weeks’ worth of play, though, haven’t suggested this to be the reality.
Granted, Wilson’s elongated success against the 49ers is something to worry about, and there’s little questioning his interest in “getting up” for a game against a longtime rival.
Still, the Niners would much rather face Wilson amid his current context than against the ones when he was with Seattle.
49ers advantage No. 1: Broncos offense matches up poorly vs. Niners defense
Denver has scored a total of 32 points this season, 16 apiece in their matchups from both Weeks 1 and 2.
That’s 24th in the league.
While the Broncos’ yardage totals are notably better (783, good for seventh), it’s pretty clear the offense is still struggling to get into the end zone. A combination of poor play-calling and shoddy execution might be to blame, but it’s important to call out how these efforts have nevertheless come against substandard defenses.
San Francisco’s defense, meanwhile, has been exemplary over two weeks.
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Specifically in Week 2, where the 49ers defense held Seattle to zero offensive points scored, the Niners now boast the NFL’s No. 3-ranked scoring defense, is No. 1 in fewest yards allowed (420), ranks second best in yards per play (4.1), has given up the least passing yards in two weeks (285) and boasts the best run defense thus far with opponents averaging just 2.6 yards per carry.
Granted, San Francisco’s competition over the first two weeks, the Bears and Seahawks, hasn’t exactly been of the upper-echelon variety. But, unlike Denver struggling against sub-par competition, the 49ers defense has more or less done its job well in this context.
And that might easily help lead the Niners to a defense-first victory over the Broncos on Sunday Night Football in Week 3.