Broncos Game Grades: Russell Wilson powers the starting offense in a 21-20 loss to the 49ers

Another week, another late-game loss for the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos fell to 0-2 in the preseason after the 49ers scored nine points in the final 2:38 of Saturday night’s game to win 21-20.

The Broncos’ starters played about one-third of the game, but some notable players like Russell Wilson and Pat Surtain only played the first series. Javonte Williams saw the field for the first time since tearing his ACL in October, and rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims also made his debut.

Here’s how the Broncos graded out…

Offense

Quarterback

Russell Wilson: A- — Wilson had an unconventional day, running for more yards than he threw for. But his 49 yards of production in his lone series is solid. If not for a holding penalty, he would have picked up another 16 yards on a read option.

Wilson took advantage when running lanes opened in front of him. His 17-yard run on 3rd & 6 was the highlight, but he had two other four-yard runs as well.

As a passer, Wilson was fine. He hit Javonte Williams in the chest on a screen pass on the first play of the game, but Williams dropped the ball. On the next play, Wilson hit Williams on a comeback route against a linebacker on the sideline for 12 yards. He found Williams again, this time as a check-down option in front of the collapsing pocket. He shoveled the ball ahead and turned a potential 3rd & 9 into a 3rd & 6 with his creativity. He panicked on his next pass when he rolled out of the pocket. He felt pressure behind him and threw the ball away but had a couple more seconds to find a receiver. On 2nd & 15, he found Marvin Mims on a hitch for eight yards. On 3rd & 7, the final play of Wilson’s only drive, he tried the deep shot to Jerry Jeudy who had a half-step of separation, but he probably would have been better off waiting for Courtland Sutton to come across the middle of the field.

Jarrett Stidham: C+ — Stidham took a big step forward in his second game with the Broncos. He completed 12 of his 17 passes for 130 yards. He didn’t score or turn the ball over. He made a good read with a defender in his face to find Lil’Jordan Humphrey open for a 16-yard gain to midfield with less than a minute left before halftime. He picked up a 3rd & 11 by hitting Humphrey at the sticks.

Stidham also stepped into an unnecessary sack and made the wrong read on a fourth-down pass. We aren’t counting a fumbled exchange against him or Lloyd Cushenberry, since we don’t know who was at fault.

Ben DiNucci: D — DiNucci struggled. His low point was a terrible decision to whip a ball to Albert Okwuegbunam over the middle of the field, while rolling out to the right. The ball was tipped but should have been intercepted. He tried to run for a 4th & 3 but couldn’t quite get to the sticks. He fumbled, which was inconsequential.

There weren’t many redeeming plays. He hit Nate Adkins on a hitch for five yards. He hit Jaleel McLaughlin in the flat for a nine-yard touchdown. He found McLaughlin in the flat again, but this time he lost yards. DiNucci completed three of seven attempts for 13 yards.

Running Back

Javonte Williams: C — The dropped screen pass on the first play is a major knock against Williams’ grade. The blocking was set up in front of him for a big gain. He beat a linebacker on a comeback route for a 12-yard gain on the next play, which minimized the impact, though. He ran physically but wasn’t given too much to work with by his offensive line. He broke a couple of tackles but maybe gained an extra yard or two for his efforts. He had a nice play in pass protection, helping out Quinn Meinerz, who was pulling to pick up the edge rusher.

Samaje Perine: A- — The Broncos’ line opened up holes in the middle of the field for Perine, and he took advantage. He finished with three carries for 22 yards. He also had a great rep in pass protection, picking up All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga around the edge perfectly.

Jaleel McLaughlin: A — McLaughlin’s burst is special, and he put it on display again on Saturday with two touchdowns. One was a run to the left side. He made the defender miss in the hole and walked into the end zone. The other was a catch off of play-action. He stopped on a dime just outside the end zone, letting two potential tacklers fly by in front of him. McLaughlin looked especially sharp on a draw since he had so much room to work. He returned a kickoff to the 50-yard line, but lost the A+ because he mishandled his first kick return attempt. It was a short kick to the 15-yard line, which meant it was tough to cover enough ground to get under the ball, but he got a late jump. He finished with seven carries for 45 yards.

Tony Jones Jr.: A+ — The Broncos needed a pop and Jones provided it, breaking a 43-yard run after a great decision to cut the run all the way back to the edge. He ran hard all night and made a great catch on a four-yard out. The ball was in the air before he broke, and he was able to adjust to the low pass and bring it in. He also had a nice block cleaning up the edge on a bootleg.

Fullback

Michael Burton: B — Burton got the ball twice on Saturday, picking up a first down on both plays. One was a 3rd & 1. On the other, he bounced a step outside to pick up three or four yards on 2nd & 1. On one lead-blocking rep, he decided to help out with a double team instead of picking up All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who was flying through the hole.

Tight End

Adam Trautman: C- — Trautman attempted a pair of kickout blocks and gained initial positioning on both. But on both plays, the defensive end dipped inside of him to help with the tackle. He had a great lead block for Russell Wilson on his 16-yard run, but the play was called back.

Greg Dulcich: B — Dulcich only made one play, but it was a big one. On 3rd & 8, he caught a quick out and made a 49ers starting cornerback miss on his way past the sticks for an 18-yard gain. On his first play in the game, he was beaten cleanly inside on the backside of an outside zone run, and the defender blew up the run.

Nate Adkins: A- — Lining up against second- and third-stringers probably helps, but Adkins manhandled just about everybody he was assigned to block on Saturday. He made a handful of notable blocks with only one potential mistake I saw. He stuck on a double-team on 3rd & 1, and a defender got around the edge to stuff the running back. The play was designed to go up the middle, so I’d imagine Adkins wasn’t supposed to climb to the next level, but you can’t know for sure.

Adkins caught a couple of balls. One was in the flat, and he broke a tackle but couldn’t get upfield. Another catch in the flat was called back because Kendall Hinton committed pass interference. His big play was a 10-yard gain on a screen.

Albert Okwuegbunam: A+ — The 25-year-old tight end put on a blocking clinic. He pancaked a defender with Jaleel McLaughlin running behind him. He double-teamed a defender in pass protection with Isaiah Prince and pancaked him. When McLaughlin returned a kickoff to midfield, Okwuegbunam helped clear the lane with another pancake. He also collapsed the left side of the line of scrimmage on McLaughlin’s touchdown run and drove an edge defender outside on a toss. He played a hell of a game.

Wide Receiver

Jerry Jeudy: C- — Jeudy’s only catch resulted in a five-yard gain. He also earned a target on a third-down deep ball. The ball was overthrown. Jeudy made a vet move, faking that the defensive back had grabbed his arm, but the refs didn’t bite.

Courtland Sutton: D — Sutton didn’t earn a target on Saturday, despite playing 23 snaps, although Russell Wilson probably should have thrown the ball his way on a 3rd & 7 instead of sending a deep ball to Jerry Jeudy. Sutton’s holding negated a 16-yard run from Wilson.

Marvin Mims: C — Mims’ only target was on a hitch route in the middle of the field for eight yards. He bobbled the ball a little but held on. He was the Broncos’ punt returner but never had a chance to return a punt.

Jalen Virgil: A+ — Another week, another great game from Virgil. The Broncos continued to pull him into the backfield and ran well behind him. He was the first one downfield on a punt. The big play, of course, was his 50-yard out-and-up, when he shook a defender after the catch and just about made it into the end zone. Virgil played five snaps of offense and produced 50 receiving yards. That’s more than worthy of an A+. Unfortunately, he’ll be out a few months with a torn meniscus.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey: C- — Three catches for 30 yards is a solid day. The first catch was a screen that only went for a few yards, since Humphrey couldn’t make the defender miss. The next was a 15-yard gain in a two-minute drill, and the last one converted a 3rd & 11. He fumbled on that play but recovered. He made a couple of great blocks. One was on a Jaleel McLaughlin draw. One was one of the two key blocks on Tony Jones Jr.’s 43-yard run. The final was a great pull and lead block for McLaughlin… but he was called for holding. That holding call and the fumble hold back Humphrey’s grade.

Kendall Hinton: F — Hinton had a rough night. He was called for holding. He was called for pass interference. One of his two targets was a short throw to the sideline, but Hinton bobbled the ball and didn’t have control in time to get his feet down. It was a really tough night. But he also made a good block pulling through the backfield on Jaleel McLaughlin’s touchdown run.

Taylor Grimes: A- — Grimes is getting the benefit of a small sample size. He only played three snaps, but on one of those he pulled inside and had a great block, which helped Tony Jones Jr. break a 43-yard run.

Tackle

Garett Bolles: B+ — One play holds Bolles back. All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga approached the line of scrimmage late. He dipped inside of Bolles for a pressure, and Bolles probably could have been called for holding, too. He was clean in pass protection the rest of the night, though. And he had a great block on Michael Burton’s first fullback dive, laying on top of his man at the end of the play.

Cam Fleming: B — Fleming started in place of Mike McGlinchey at right tackle, and he played well. His lone mistake came when he gave up the edge on a 3rd & 8, but the quarterback was still able to find Greg Dulcich and convert the first down. Fleming was stellar in the running game.

Isaiah Prince: C+ — Prince gave up the edge a couple of times. One was on a quick throw, so it didn’t matter. The other was a slight pressure, but Prince was able to run the defender by the quarterback so there was little risk of a sack. Prince also made a great block on Jaleel McLaughlin’s 17-yard run and had a combo pancake with Albert Okwuegbunam in pass protection.

Alex Palczewski: B- — Palczewski flirted with danger on Saturday. In general, he didn’t get deep enough into his pass set and it looked like an edge rusher would beat him on a couple of occassions. Palczewski didn’t give up any pressures, but he sure came close. A Von Miller-like rusher probably would have turned the corner on him on multiple occasions. He was late to pick up a couple of twists. He bailed himself out on the second one by knocking the defensive tackle to the ground. Palczewski came out of the game after halftime, but subbed back in for the fourth quarter. He was beaten on a run play when the Broncos were in their four-minute offense and could’ve been called for a hold. Overall, it was a solid outing, but the results were better than the process.

Demontrey Jacobs: C- — Jacobs only played the offense’s final nine snaps at left tackle. He had one of the two key blocks on Tony Jones Jr.’s 43-yard run. He also got beat around the edge on 3rd & 8 on the Broncos’ final drive.

Guard

Ben Powers: D- — Powers had another rough day in pass protection. He wasn’t moving his feet and rushers caught him leaning too far forward on a few occasions. He was beaten cleanly on Russell Wilson’s first non-screen drop back, and gave up another pressure shortly later. He gave up one of two sacks allowed by the Broncos in the same fashion as the first couple of pressures, reaching too far forward and not recovering upfield quickly enough. In the running game, Powers was fine. He had a great block on a 3rd & 2, pushing a defender backward across the line to gain. For what it’s worth, Powers was tasked with blocking Javon Hargrave, who had 11 sacks as an interior rusher last year, in the early going of the game. That doesn’t help his grade, but it might make you feel a little better.

Quinn Meinerz: A — I couldn’t find a flaw from Meinerz on Saturday. On one play, he pulled through the backfield in pass protection to take out the defensive end and didn’t have a great angle, so Samaje Perine helped him out. That’s the closest I came. He sealed the lane for Perine’s nine-yard run, which was the longest run the starting line created on Saturday.

Quinn Bailey: B+ — Bailey started out at right guard before bumping out to right tackle. He was great at guard. On his first play, he and Alex Palczewski double-teamed a defender into the ground, and then Bailey extended to the second level and sealed the other side of the running lane, too. At right tackle, Bailey made the only mistake I found when he gave up the edge and allowed a pressure. Jarrett Stidham was able to roll out of the pocket, though.

Luke Wattenberg: B- — One play holds Wattenberg back… and it wasn’t really his fault. Wattenberg was pushed five yards upfield in pass protection, but he would have gotten away with it. Jarrett Stidham should have broken the pocket to the outside but decided to try to run right by Wattenberg instead. The defensive lineman grabbed him for a sack, which was credited to Wattenberg. Wattenberg gave up a hit late in the game on a spin move, too.

Outside of that, Wattenberg played pretty well. He maneuvered well through traffic on a pull. He made a good block in space on a screen. He had a pancake in pass protection on a 3rd & 11. He might have had another one too, but I’m not giving him too much credit since it looked like the defensive tackle slipped. He had a great block on Jaleel McLaughlin’s 17-yard run, double-teaming and extending to block another defender.

Will Sherman: A- — Sherman was sharp, especially in pass protection, where he was essentially flawless. He also climbed 15 yards upfield to block on a screen.

Center

Lloyd Cushenberry: C+ — On a down-to-down basis, Cushenberry was awesome. He did great work getting to the second level to block linebackers, and he was at the center of an interior line that blew open hole after hole, especially as their time in the game wore on.

But there were a few mistakes. He couldn’t handle a defensive end twisting inside and gave up a pressure. He was probably late to snap the ball when the entire rest of the offensive line false-started. He couldn’t quite get to a linebacker on a screen to Javonte Williams, but no lineman in the league would have been quick enough. There was also a missed exchange on a snap between Cushenberry and Jarrett Stidham, but I’m not counting that against either since I don’t know who was at fault.

Kyle Fuller: B- — Fuller made a couple of good plays on screens, including a pancake on the screen to Nate Adkins. He also probably stuck too long on a double-team on a 3rd & short, when he should have extended to the second level.

Alex Forsyth: B+ — Forsyth came in for the fourth quarter. He was sharp in pass protection. He had a great block on Jaleel McLaughlin’s 17-yard run.

Defense

Defensive Line

Zach Allen: A- — Zach Allen should have gotten a sack when he surged into the backfield on 2nd & goal from the two-yard line, but he couldn’t bring the quarterback down. He got his sack later on, when an Alex Singleton blitz meant that the 49ers couldn’t double-team him. He beat the center and brought down the quarterback. He also had a nice tackle on the first play of the game, pushing a guard two steps backward and then separating and dragging the back down for a short gain.

DJ Jones: A- — DJ Jones played sparingly, just one week removed from a concussion, but he played well. He shed a blocker easily for a run stuff to start the second drive, and he drew a holding call on a 2nd & 2 run up the middle.

Jonathan Harris: C+ — Harris didn’t make as much noise as we’ve become accustomed to over the past few weeks. He provided a pressure. He helped out with a run stuff. But there wasn’t much pop.

Matt Henningsen: A — Elijah Garcia wouldn’t have had an interception if Henningsen hadn’t tipped the ball up in the air first. He also pushed a guard back a couple of yards to disrupt a run and had a hit on a rush up the middle.

Elijah Garcia: A+ — Garcia made a great play, diving to grab a tipped ball for an interception. He was strong in the trenches throughout the game. He had a hit on the quarterback on the first play of the final drive. On the same drive, he bowled over a blocker and contested a throw.

Jordan Jackson: B+ — Jackson essentially ended a fourth-quarter drive by himself. He drew a hold on first down. He provided pressure on the ensuing 1st & 20. Then he provided another pressure on 2nd & 20. The 49ers couldn’t convert the 3rd & 20. Speaking of 20s, Jackson made a solo tackle 20 yards downfield on a screen on the final drive.

Tyler Lancaster: C- — Lancaster wasn’t on the field much, but he didn’t show up on the stat sheet. His lowlight was being pancaked by a double-team. He also drew a hold that negated a 20-yard catch, which saved his grade.

PJ Mustipher: C — Mustipher wasn’t as stout in the running game in his second week of action—like when he was washed out of the way on a seven-yard run—but he made a couple of plays. He provided pressure up the middle on the 49ers’ 17-yard two-point conversion attempt. He also penetrated into the backfield on a run on the final drive, but the back bounced outside because there was no contain, and ran for 15 yards.

Haggai Ndubuisi: D — A member of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, Ndubuisi earned four snaps of work on Saturday. He was called for a hands-to-the-face penalty. He followed it up with a strong play to separate from the guard and make a tackle on a short run, but the penalty is tough to come back from.

Outside Linebacker

Randy Gregory: C+ — It was a strange night for Randy Gregory. The veteran defender played in the first series of the game and all the way into the fourth quarter, which is rare for an NFL starter. But the Broncos were rotating their outside linebackers heavily, so Gregory ended up playing 22 snaps, the average number for a Broncos defender who appeared in the game. His reps just happened to be spread out more, which catches the eye.

Gregory didn’t have a great night. He recorded a sack, but Jonathon Cooper was there first, and Gregory just had to clean the play up. It was Gregory’s only pressure in 12 tries. Gregory earned a few coverage reps and the results were mixed. On one play he dropped into the flat and triggered forward when the quarterback broke the pocket, forcing an incompletion. Later in the game he dropped to the flat again, and made the same play, but this time there was a receiver behind him and the quarterback was able to drop the ball over him for an easy completion.

Frank Clark: C — Clark was on the field for 27 snaps but didn’t register a pressure. He provided good pursuit from the backside on one quarterback scramble. He set the edge well, forcing running backs to cut back inside on multiple occasions. He didn’t set the edge on a 2nd & 6 run that bounced outside for a first down. On one coverage snap early in the fourth quarter, Clark floated too high on 2nd & 3, leaving the flat open. The Broncos seemed to be hunting coverage reps for Clark on Saturday, who will probably be asked to cover more this season than he has in his career, and he probably would have graded out higher if they had asked him to rush more and cover less.

Jonathon Cooper: A — Cooper was only credited with one sack, but he was a key part of two. First, he got a sack near the goal line after Zach Allen penetrated and set the quarterback up for him. Later on, Cooper came unblocked around the edge and set the quarterback up for Randy Gregory. Cooper was solid all night. He had a good rush on Essang Bassey’s interception. He stuffed a run after dodging a fullback in the backfield, too. 

Nik Bonitto: A- — Bonitto started hot. He flowed from the back side of a run to make a tackle for loss. Then he had a good bull rush on the next play, pushing the tackle into the quarterback’s lap. He was unblocked on the back side of a bootleg and seemed to be in good position to pressure the quarterback but lost his footing. He had a clean win around the edge to flush Trey Lance from the pocket, but Lance ran for a solid gain. On another rush around the edge, Bonitto hit Lance and forced an incompletion. He beat the same tackle for a third time in a short span, but Lance got rid of the ball quickly, so the immediate win didn’t matter. On the next play, Bonitto drew a holding call.

Aaron Patrick: D — Patrick made a great play to control the edge on 3rd & 1 and stuff the run… but he facemasked the running back and cost the Broncos 15 yards. He got a hit on the quarterback on a twist up the middle on 3rd & 20.

Chris Allen: D- — Allen had a massive opportunity. He was in coverage on the sideline with a little more than five minutes left in the game, and the ball came his way. But he couldn’t hold on, and it bounced off his neck. The Broncos could have had the ball near the red zone with an eight-point lead. That’s a catch you need to make. Later on, Allen got around the edge on the first play of the final drive. He probably should have drawn a holding flag.

Inside Linebacker

Alex Singleton: B — Singleton ended three quarterback scrambles on Saturday, and two of them were short of the sticks on third downs. They’re simple plays, but plays that Singleton makes every single time. He may have ditched his assignment in a Cover 4 look, but if he’d extended to the boundary instead of sticking in the middle of the field, he would have left a different receiver open. Plus, Surtain was on the boundary, and there was a chance he’d be able to charge forward to make the play. It was probably good to bet on Surtain. He had a nice stuff on 1st & Goal from the two-yard line, but it was a ho-hum day for Singleton.

Josey Jewell: A- — Jewell stopped a couple of runs. He hit the quarterback on a blitz. He helped to clean up a sack. He was effective in all phases of the game.

Drew Sanders: B- — Sanders made a couple of good plays on Friday. He jumped a hitch over the middle but couldn’t hold onto the ball. He shed a block and made a good read to tackle the running back for a two-yard gain after he cut back. He filled a gap well on 2nd & 2 and was strong enough to stand the running back up. He wasn’t perfect, though, like when he stepped too far forward against a play-action pass, and was within a few yards of the line of scrimmage when the quarterback dropped the ball over his head for a completion over the middle.

Justin Strnad: B+ — Strnad was all over the field. He had a good blitz to penetrate on an inside run. He missed on a tackle for loss on another play, but his penetration helped to disrupt the play. He came close to a sack when his blitz didn’t get home, but he mirrored Trey Lance to the flat and even got a hand on him but couldn’t bring him down.

He also bit on a play-action and left some space behind him. I couldn’t tell for sure, but I think he was supposed to be in coverage on a play-action touchdown to the fullback, too. It was tough to tell, but I think he got caught in traffic on his way to cover him.

Cornerback

Pat Surtain: C+ — This is a tough grade to give, because we don’t know exactly what each player’s responsibilities are on each play. The Broncos defense was in man coverage on the first play of the game, and it appeared that Surtain was supposed to guard Deebo Samuel. Samuel pulled through the backfield off the snap as the 49ers faked a run, but Surtain only took a couple of steps in that direction before backing off and defending his side of the field. With other Broncos in man, you would think that Surtain would be too, and that Samuel was his responsibility.

A couple of plays later, Surtain couldn’t weave through traffic to the other side of the field on play action. He tried to switch responsibilities with a teammate mid-play and appeared frustrated about the miscommunication. I think he wanted Kareem Jackson to jump into the action sooner.

Were those plays Surtain’s fault? There’s no way to know for sure. But I’m giving him partial blame for both to split the difference. If you don’t count those two plays at all, he’d earn an A-.

Damarri Mathis: A- — On the second San Francisco drive of the day, the 49ers faced an early 3rd & 5. The boundary receiver charged Damarri Mathis and hitched as soon as Mathis opened his hips, but Mathis stopped on a dime and jumped back to knock the ball away at the sticks. On a 3rd & Goal from the 10-yard line, Mathis lined up with his heels on the goal line in Cover 4 coverage and smothered a corner route perfectly. He also yanked on a ball a receiver was holding and Dellarin Turner-Yell charged in to knock it out of his hands. I’m crediting Mathis for loosening it up. He wasn’t perfect—like when he was beaten for 11 yards on a 2nd & 12 shallow post, but it was a good day.

Ja’Quan McMillian: B- — McMillian had a quiet night and wasn’t on the field for long. He gave up a long catch over the middle, but opposing quarterbacks largely stayed away from him. He also made a tackle on the opening kickoff.

Essang Bassey: A — Another week, another easy interception for Essang Bassey. This time, the ball bounced off of a receiver, straight into the air, and into Bassey’s hands. He had an otherwise quiet night. The 49ers threw a screen his direction, and he got his hands on Deebo Samuel, but he was at a tough angle and didn’t have much of a chance to make the play. That’s not really his game, but he allowed another 10 yards by not bringing Samuel down.

Tremon Smith: B- — Smith was a stud on special teams. He was the first one down the field on both of the Broncos’ first two kickoffs. Had good blocks on a couple of returns, too. He even came within a step of blocking the game-winning field goal.

Defensively, Smith was solid. He was in coverage on the receiver who couldn’t hold onto the ball that fell into Essang Bassey’s hands. On a deep ball to the end zone, Smith was a step behind his man but an underthrow left him in perfect position to contest the catch. He missed a tackle in the backfield when the running back bounced to the edge. He also gave up a nine-yard first-down catch on an out on 3rd & 9.

Faion Hicks: C- — Hicks did plenty to be excited about, especially the pass breakup 20 yards down the seam. But the mistakes were louder. He had great coverage on a dig but couldn’t make a play on the ball and gave up the catch. He got beat on a deep dig for a big gain on the final drive, too.

Fabian Moreau: A — Fabian Moreau wasn’t targeted on any of his 12 snaps in coverage, and he made a huge play jumping on a muffed punt. That’s a nice, clean A.

Delonte Hood: C- — Hood’s play of the game was a good contest on a ball to Willie Snead 20 yards downfield in the middle of the fourth quarter. He made another solid play to get upfield on a punt but couldn’t make the tackle. He circled back to eventually help bring the returner down. On the final drive of the game, Hood missed a tackle on a screen that would have forced a third and short.

Art Green: C- — Green played too far off on a 3rd & 5, allowing an easy slant for a first down. His best play of the day would have been when he was flying into the edge of the defense for a big hit on a run, but Aaron Patrick grabbed the running back by his facemask and pulled him out of Green’s sights.

Safety

Caden Sterns: A- — The Broncos decided they’d seen enough of Sterns after the first drive. The ball was never thrown his way, but he was able to contribute three tackles in 12 plays.

Kareem Jackson: B- — Jackson made a good second-down tackle on a screen that helped set up a three-and-out. He had a hit just behind the sticks after a catch on the first drive. He probably could have gotten there sooner, but a breakup would have taken an incredible play. 

Dellarin Turner-Yell: B- — A peanut punch to force a fumble is doing the heavy lifting here. Turner-Yell also gave up a catch on an out. He was there for an immediate tackle but gave up eight yards. He also flew past a ball carrier at the one-yard line, allowing a touchdown.

JL Skinner: D- — This is a tough grade, but Skinner made too many mistakes that cost the Broncos yards in big moments. He missed a tackle because he didn’t wrap up. He got caught flat-footed on a deep dig on the final drive. He wasn’t responsible for the catch, but he should have been able to bring the receiver down. He would have saved 25 yards if he’d made the tackle. Then he blew contain, allowing a 15-yard run on the final drive. Too many mistakes.

Skinner also made a big hit on a toss to the boundary, and he broke up the pass on the two-point conversion near the sideline.

Devon Key: C+ — I’m giving Devon Key the benefit of the doubt. When Trey Lance hit his tight end up the seam for the 49ers’ final touchdown of the game, Key might have been responsible. The Broncos were either playing Cover 3, and Key made an alright decision to pursue the running back and leave the tight end to JL Skinner. Or the Broncos were playing Cover 1 and Key was supposed to be in man coverage. There’s no way to know. He might deserve the F, but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Special Teams

Kicker

Brett Maher: A — Both field goals were good, including a 48-yarder. Maher made both extra points, too.

Punter

Riley Dixon: A — Dixon punted four times for 241 yards… That’s more than 60 yards per punt. One bounced into the end zone for a touchback, which is why he doesn’t get the A+.