San Francisco 49ers: 3 Big takeaways from win vs. Broncos in Week 14

Young guns give 49ers spark

The 49ers made an effort to get younger players on the field on Sunday. Rookie strong safety Marcell Harris and first-year nickel corner D.J. Reed were pressed into action by injuries but San Francisco also made moves to bench veteran starters in favor of younger alternatives as nose tackle D.J. Jones and linebacker Elijah Lee played ahead of Earl Mitchell and Malcolm Smith, who has been struggling with Achilles soreness.

Those decisions paid off as the Niners defense played with a youthful energy that has been missing for most of the campaign. Harris and Reed in particular were magnificent in the secondary, flying around the field to make numerous key plays.

Sixth-round pick Harris made three consecutive tackles, including an excellent open field hit on Phillip Lindsay as the Broncos turned the ball over on downs for the second time. Reed has been nominated for Rookie of the Week honors after an all-action display in which he registered 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hit and a forced fumble.

There was also plenty of impact from rookies made on offense, right tackle Mike McGlinchey continuing his strong year by only allowing one sack against Von Miller while Dante Pettis caught his fourth touchdown in three games and also made a key third-down catch on the 49ers final drive that burnt the clock to put the game beyond Denver.

Experience is important but Sunday was a game in which the players who have a good shot to be the future of the team came to the fore. If they can impress again in the final three weeks, then the Niners will be able to feel better about what they have going into an important offseason.