The Denver Broncos need to start scoring early this week

SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Quarterback Brock Purdy (13) celebrates with tight end George Kittle (85) of the San Francisco 49ers and teammates after a touchdown play against the Miami Dolphins during a game at Levi's Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Prepare to be exposed, Broncos Country. The Broncos face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, coached by Kyle Shanahan. They have Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. This 49ers offense is a tough outing because they are coached to take advantage of scheme mismatches in coverage and punish weak links on defense. Thankfully, the Broncos have a fighter's chance because their defensive coordinator isn't too shabby either.

Look out for the 9ers beating the drum of matching Kittle on either of our inside linebackers in coverage. Also look out for McCaffrey ever getting to the 2nd level, as he's going to challenge the tackling capabilities of this defense and is a threat to break a big run at any time.

If I'm thinking like Sean Payton about how this game is likely to go, the Broncos are going to need to score points early and often in order to keep up. I don't think there is a high likelihood of this being a low-scoring game from the 49ers.

This would be a great week for the Broncos to figure out how to get their offense on track early for a change.

This is just the kind of team that Payton was alluding to when he talked about better teams making it almost impossible for a 2nd-half comeback. If we start the 3rd quarter down 16 - 0 in San Francisco, it is going to be rough sledding to find a way to win against that disciplined and well-rounded team.

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