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It wasn’t the most exciting game, but Denver gets the win at home and remains undefeated in the preseason.
The defence was the story of the game, as the Broncos’ defensive line got after the ballcarriers all day and forced a safety to kick off the second quarter.
For the 49ers, this defeat raised more questions than anything. Their QB didn’t play well at all, and really needs to start playing better if he wants to lead his team to the playoffs.
Jarryd Hayne made a limited appearance in the second half. He couldn’t get much done on the ground, and was similarly quiet in the return game, only running back one punt for 12 yards.
He caught his first pass in the NFL for 18 yards, but there’s clearly some things he needs to improve on if he wants to make this squad. A good win for Denver, and the Broncos have to be very confident going forward given the show their defence put on today.
Final Score:
Denver – 19
San Francisco – 12
The San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos are both coming off disappointing 2014 NFL campaigns and are looking to have a strong pre-season. Also, Jarryd Hayne is playing! Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 11am (AEST).
The Broncos have yet to lose in pre-season as they defeated Seattle and Houston in their first two games, although both games were probably closer than they would have liked.
After suffering an opening week defeat against Houston, San Francisco bounced back last week when they walked over the Cowboys for a 23-6 win.
As it’s the third pre-season game, teams will be more wiling to play their starters, so expect to see plenty of Peyton Manning on the field. We should see Colin Kaepernick featured more too – the number seven has only had eight passing attempts over two games, totalling a measly 27 yards on three completions.
Neither team has any injuries to report, and Denver has actually been adding players to its squad. Former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Evan Mathis signed a one-year deal with Denver on Tuesday, and will be the starting left guard for the team. Elsewhere, the Broncos cut Connor Barth and signed Brandon McManus to be their kicker; Barth signed with Tampa Bay hours later.
For the 49ers, although without injury, they will still miss Ahmad Brooks on defence. Brooks was charged with misdemeanour sexual battery on Wednesday, and won’t play against the Broncos. NaVorro Bowman will be expected to get a bigger workload as well; the linebacker returned last game after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, and made a strong impact in his limited outing.
Of course, the story of the game – or rather “the story of the pre-season” as one commentator described it – is Jarryd Hayne. Hayne’s looked impressive in the 49ers previous two games, leading the team in both rushing attempts and yardage. While his 13 carries are second in the team to Kendall Gaskins’ 15, his total yardage far surpasses any other running back on the roster.
Whether Hayne is used as extensively in this game as he has been in the past two remains to be seen. What we can almost be sure of, however, is that he will contribute in the return game if nothing else. Hayne has returned five punts for an average of 21.6 yards per punt, and returned a kick-off in his first game for 33 yards. The skills he’s displayed will help him support his case for making the team.
The running back situation for the Broncos is also interesting. Ronnie Hillman has been similarly impressive over the past two games, notching 120 yards off 16 carries for a very healthy 7.5 yards per run average. Gary Kubiak, the Broncos’ new coach, came out and said that Hillman “deserves more reps… he keeps playing like that, he’ll continue to get some more”.
The 49ers are coming off a good win last week, but the Broncos will ultimately be too strong to overcome. Behind some more solid performances on the ground, and the added inclusion of extra reps for Manning, Denver will look to make it 3-0 going into the final week of the pre-season.
Will Jarryd Hayne have a breakout game, return a punt for touchdown and lead the 49ers to a win?
Join The Roar on Sunday at 11am (AEST) for live scores and commentary in our live blog.
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