Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers Game of the Week Preview

The Denver Broncos look like the most talented team in the NFL right now, and they could add another impressive win to their resume this week on Sunday Night Football when they take on the San Francisco 49ers, who are dealing with some tough injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, the Broncos are on fire, as their offense continues to be something to brag about. Ronnie Hillman could be an interesting X-Factor, as he had 100 yards on the ground last week against the New York Jets and is looking to take over for Montee Ball, who is on the shelf with an injury.

Below are some predictions from the staff on how tonight’s game between the 49ers and Broncos will shake out.

Derrik Klassen

San Francisco has been struggling a bit more than would’ve been expected. Reversely, Denver is still chugging along and their defense is an improved unit in 2014. Though Peyton Manning isn’t playing to his 2013 standard, he’s still marching down the field and running an intense scoring attack.

Denver wins; 31-17

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Keith Myers

This game very well could be a Super Bowl preview. Both teams are playing very well at the moment, though both teams also have exploitable weakness as well. San Francisco is banged up on their front seven, especially at linebacker. The backups have played well thus far, but trying to stop Peyton Manning is a taller order than anything they’ve faced thus far.

For Denver, it is their complete lack of a running game to help Peyton Manning. Becoming one-dimensional is not conducive to success against that 49er defense, even with their injuries at linebacker.

Ultimately though, Denver is the healthier at the moment, that I think that will be the deciding factor this week. Denver wins 27-24.

Keith Demolder

Broncos-Niners, typically an interesting match-up. Unfortunately though, this week does not look exciting to say the least. With injuries galore on the defensive side of the ball, the Niners are looking to somehow stop the league’s best offense. I believe that this Broncos squad is better than last year’s squad. They have a decent defense and their offense has found a way to score with a plethora of receiving talent.

The offense for San Fran is the only thing that stands in the way of Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Look for Manning to go to work against the Niners and deliver another great performance. Look for the record-breaking TD reception…Demaryius Thomas for sure.

Denver 34 San Francisco 24

Kevin Casini

Before I knew Iupati & Willis were out I was taking the points & liking SF for an outright win but now I’m not so sure. Patrick Willis says he’ll be back in Week 9 & w/their other starters returning on defense that week look for SF to make a big second half push, but not just yet. Denver 24 SF 16

Joe Soriano

We knew the Denver Broncos would be an incredibly scary team this year after their numerous offseason acquisitions on the defensive side of the ball, and the plan has fallen into place perfectly. They don’t have a perfect record, but it’s clear that the Broncos offense is still elite and the defense is almost as impressive. Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. are two of the NFL’s best defensive players, and they are buoyed by a supporting cast that includes T.J. Ward, Terrance Knighton, Derek Wolfe, Aqib Talib, Rahim Moore, the under-appreciated Malik Jackson, and the still-great DeMarcus Ware. Colin Kaepernick is going to be kept busy by the Broncos pass rush, so the focus is on his ability to escape the pressure, churn out yardage with his legs, and show off good decision making; this is the kind of game where the 49ers pass-catching depth can make a huge difference.

The 49ers have plenty of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, especially with Patrick Willis ruled out, but they are still excellent up front. The problem, however, is the secondary, because cornerbacks Tramaine Brock and Jimmie Ward are highly questionable. Perrish Cox, Antoine Bethea, Eric Reid, and Chris Culliver have plenty of talent, but this is the Broncos passing attack we are talking about here. The Broncos pass defense and pass offense have unquestioned credentials, so this game is going to come down to 49ers stars in the passing game on both sides of the ball. If players like Kaepernick, Anquan Boldin, Cox, and Reid can play at a high level, then the 49ers could pull this one off.

That said, I think the Broncos are a safer bet and will make this a 27-24 ballgame (yes, I am going with the same prediction as colleague Keith Myers).