The 49ers didn’t just survive Sunday. They leaned into the grind, took the punches, and walked out of Denver with a 24-14 win that kept them unbeaten at 4-0. It was the kind of game that doesn’t hand out pretty highlights every drive, but it does tell you plenty about who this team is when the offense has to work for every inch.
That was especially true on a day when the Broncos’ defense forced the 49ers into a tougher style of football. The short-yardage offense had issues, even though San Francisco came in having posted a 63-percent success rate on third downs.
Still, when the game tightened up, the 49ers kept coming. They found a way through a second half that carried the weight of the final score.
Defensively, the 49ers did real damage without turning the game into a sack parade. Sumer Sports’ “pressure to pocket attempt” stat had them at 57.9%, which was 6.6% above league average.
They were in Bo Nix’s face all afternoon, and while he escaped enough times to create some off-schedule plays, he never looked comfortable. Nix finished with a 40.5% passing success rate, or 34.5% before the final drive, which ranked 21st among quarterbacks in Week 4.
He was pressured on 43.2% of his dropbacks despite a 29.5% blitz rate, and that 43.2% pressure number was the 11th-best mark of the week.
The 49ers clearly made a point of taking away the deeper throws. The result was a steady diet of throws underneath, with the Broncos forced to work methodically and, at times, make their own mistakes.
On the rush, Osa Odighizuwa had four pressures, Gracen Halton and Sebastian Valdez had one each, and Keion White finished with four. Ogbo Okoronkwo and Romello Height added two apiece, and Height’s 22.2% pass-rush win rate led the team.
White checked in at 18.2%.
The run defense also showed up in a way that mattered. J.K.
Dobbins was held to 40 yards on 11 carries, a 3.6 average, and R.J. Harvey managed 25 yards on seven carries, also 3.6 per rush.
Bo Nix was kept in check as a runner too, finishing with just 10 yards on two attempts.
Of course, Sunday’s most charged subplot belonged to Dre Greenlaw, who spent the afternoon playing with what teammates described as a clear edge against his former team. Greenlaw said he was fueled by Sean Payton’s “disrespect,” and he was blunt about why the matchup hit differently.
“Greenlaw was blacking out and seeing red Sunday because Payton, he said, ignored him last year, starting around late November. After he signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract in March 2025, Greenlaw missed Denver’s first six games with a torn quadriceps.
He missed the final two games with a hamstring strain. The Broncos released him in March after Greenlaw had made 43 tackles in eight games.
Greenlaw said Payton began ignoring him - he said he hadn’t spoken to him since Week 12 -- because he was frustrated by the return the Broncos were receiving on their investment.
“He definitely was, for sure,” Greenlaw said. “He would walk by - I would walk by - and he wouldn’t even look at me because of my injury. So I just knew what it was (with him) there.”
Greenlaw said his agent was the one who informed him the Broncos were parting ways with him.
“The disrespect,” Greenlaw said of Sunday’s motivation. “He couldn’t be man to man and call my phone and say, ‘We’re going to cut you.’”
Teammates saw the energy, too. One said, “I told him after the game, ‘I could tell you were about 98% blacked out,’” Williams said. “But he kept his cool with that other 2%.”
Defensive end Romello Height added, “Every time he came to the sideline, he was tweaking out. It was good to see that, and it was good to see him kind of get revenge on an old team.”
Greenlaw said his teammates helped keep him from going too far over the edge.
“I was half blacked out, but I just know my teammates just had my back, and they just told me to be smart,” Greenlaw said. “I’m thankful to have the teammates that just have my back and just understand me. ... They helped a lot.”
Fred Warner said the moment was hazy from his vantage point, but he knew Greenlaw had more in the tank emotionally.
“There was definitely something a little extra for him this week,” Warner said. “He had extra emotion going in this game.
I told him just to use it wisely, which he did. I was proud of him and played a heck of a game.
He’s played great all year, continuing to play great for us. I’m glad he’s on our side now.”
There was plenty for Kyle Shanahan to like beyond the emotion of the day. He also had a simple message for Brock Purdy after the quarterback settled in.
“Yeah, I grabbed [Brock] and said, ‘Don’t throw any more incompletions.’ And he listened.
I should have told him at the beginning (laughter). No, I think he had some better looks.
Didn’t get any tipped balls. I think he had better looks and was awesome there.”
The injury list grew, though, and that part of the win came with a cost. Kyle Juszczyk left with a knee issue, and Shanahan said, “[The] ACL and stuff looked intact, but we’ll have to find out tomorrow.” He added that Stout was being checked for an AC sprain and that Sigle was dealing with an ankle injury.
Even with the bumps and bruises, the broader picture around the 49ers looks sturdy. As one report put it, the Kyle Shanahan era keeps rolling, with Shanahan and general manager John Lynch still the clear center of power in the organization.
The defensive rookies also got their share of attention, especially Upton Stout. The 49ers’ internal grading system gave Stout a standout “Game WIT” mark, and area scout Warren Ball called it the highest he has ever given a prospect, saying Stout had a “heart of a lion.” Shanahan even showed the team clips from the previous week in a meeting before the Dolphins game, and George Kittle said, “It was mostly an Upton highlight film.”
For all the different angles from this one, the biggest takeaway was straightforward: the 49ers handled a rough, physical test and found enough answers to keep the record spotless. In a game that asked for toughness more than style points, they delivered both the fight and the finish.
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49ers Escape Denver With A Bigger Concern Heading Into Seattle
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The most notable concern centers on fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who injured his knee and is preliminarily believed to have a sprain with an intact ACL, pending MRI results. Safety Marques Sigle and cornerback Upton Stout also left with injuries, though none of the early signs point to anything season-ending, leaving the 49ers waiting on more clarity as they turn their attention to Seattle. [Read more 🡒]
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Dre Greenlaw Had A Personal Message For Sean Payton Sunday
Dre Greenlaw had a little extra edge Sunday in the 49ers matchup with Denver, and it showed in a moment that quickly made the rounds. The linebacker, now back in San Francisco on a one-year contract, was caught on camera telling Broncos coach Sean Payton that Denver made a mistake letting him go after injuries cut short his run there.
For the 49ers, it was another reminder that Greenlaw is not just back, he matters to their defense in a big way. After spending the previous season with the Broncos, he has reestablished himself as an important piece in San Francisco, and the message he delivered Sunday carried the kind of personal sting that tends to follow a player who felt he had something to prove. [Read more 🡒]