DENVER - Before the Broncos had taken one snap in the summer sun, before they had crossed one day off the training camp calendar, coach Mike Shanahan was mulling what might be in 2005.

And he said; "It's about winning those close games you're supposed to win. You need some luck, to be healthy, but in the end you can't let those games get away that you should win."

So it went with the San Francisco 49ers Saturday night in Invesco Field at Mile High.

The 49ers, well down the road from their dynasty age, are coming off a 2-14 mark in '04, and this year personnel executives around the league rank the team's roster near the bottom as well.

So in a game that was swallowed in the mire of the preseason for the most part, the Broncos starters still showed they could slam the door on the fingers of a rebuilding team with a 26-21 victory. The win improved Denver to 2-0 in the preseason.

Denver's starting offense put up 10 points in its two series' worth of work and piled up 146 yards in the first quarter. Quarterback Jake Plummer was 7-of-9 passing for 95 yards with a 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Mike Anderson to finish the team's first possession of the night.

Denver went 80 yards in just five plays on their opening drive. Overall, in the second consecutive week the Broncos faced a 3-4 defense, they rushed for 266 yards on their 47 carries — 5.7 per carry.

"Last week we didn’t do well in the running game," Shanahan said. "There was an emphasis on it this week and we had a chance to go against the same type of scheme ? So we made some strides in that area."

Anderson, who continues to try to tighten his grip on the starting running back job, finished with 39 yards rushing on his five carries. Ron Dayne added 87 yards on his 18 carries while Tatum Bell finished with 62 yards on 11 carries.

"We did have some long plays in there," said wide receiver Rod Smith. "We were able to move the ball."

The Broncos were busily moving their second possession toward a touchdown as well, but two holding calls — the first on guard Ben Hamilton, the second on center Tom Nalen at the 49ers' 3-yard line — and a fumbled snap by Plummer eventually stalled them. Nalen's penalty negated a touchdown run by Anderson and Jason Elam finished the drive off with a 31-yard field goal that gave the Broncos a 10-0 lead.

For its part the Broncos starting defense also rattled rookie quarterback Alex Smith. Smith, who was the first pick of last April's draft after his career at the University of Utah, was 2-of-7 for 18 yards and sacked three times.

Shanahan left the starting defense in slightly longer than their offensive counterparts as the 49ers worked with a short field in much of the opening half.

When the Broncos second-team defense did take the field against San Francisco's top offense the 49ers scored on the next play — a 16-yard run by Kevan Barlow.

San Francisco's first-year coach Mike Nolan, in search of some confidence for a young team trying to rebound from the league's worst record in '04, left his starters in for the opening half.

"We are still building our foundation," Nolan said. "Our team is still growing and learning."

That showed in Broncos backup quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt's night. After a smooth outing against the Houston Texans last week in the preseason opener, Van Pelt was just 2-of-7 in the first half for 16 yards.

Van Pelt, who played almost three quarters in the game, was also sacked twice before halftime. He finished the night 7-of-18 for 106 yards without a touchdown or interception.

"It was a sub-par performance," Van Pelt said. "It's hard for me to walk off the field and know I didn't play up to my standards."

Shanahan had spent much of this past week riding his special teams units in practice going as far as to threaten to toss rookie safety Brandon Browner off the field.

They likely won't get a break this week either after the blocked punt, two missed field goals by Elam and some spotty work in the coverage units.

Among the Broncos reserves, wide receiver Todd Devoe, who had a 92-yard touchdown against the Texans last week, continued his quality work. He had first-down catch in the middle of the field in the third quarter to go with a 32-yard grab on the same drive to set up the Broncos second touchdown of the night.

Reserve wide receiver Charlie Adams also had a 39-yard punt return in the third quarter to go with a 29-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Injuries: Browner fractured his left forearm.

Broncos wide receiver Darius Watts suffered a neck strain in the second half of Saturday night's game, but did return later. He will be evaluated more on Sunday.

Linebacker Patrick Chukwurah also suffered an injured left hand, but said after the game X-rays were negative.

San Francisco 49ers guard Thomas Herrion collapsed in the team's locker room after the game and was taken to St. Anthony's Hospital by ambulance.

legwoldj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2359

Back to Top