The 49ers (1-0) host the Denver Broncos (1-0) at Candlestick Park for a 1:15 PT kickoff in the home opener.
Brian Griese starts at quarterback for Denver. Olandis Gary runs the ball. Rod Smith leads the receivers. Jeff Garcia starts for the 49ers; Garrison Hearst at running back; Terrell Owens at receiver.
The Candlestick home opener Sunday afternoon. The 49ers (1-0), off the Thursday-night road win over the Giants, host the 1-0 Denver Broncos in the kind of cross-conference home opener where the year's identity tape gets the home crowd's first look.
Jeff Garcia stays the starter. Garrison Hearst the lead back. Terrell Owens the WR1. The Broncos come in with Brian Griese at quarterback and Olandis Gary as the lead back. The kind of cross-conference home opener where 2-0 keeps the year on the right side.
Favored by 1 at home. The kind of home opener where the 49ers' playoff-experienced roster faces a Broncos team that has been the AFC West contender.
Week 2 across the NFC, the early-season sort begins. The Rams, Eagles, Bears, Cowboys, and Packers lead the conference contender talk. The 49ers (1-0) lead the NFC West with the Cardinals (1-0). Around the AFC the Broncos (1-0), Patriots, Chiefs, and Raiders compete for top seeds. The Sunday home opener is the kind of week where a 49ers win, against an AFC contender at home, would establish the year's identity tape.
Through one game the 49ers are 1-0 with a +3 point differential. Jeff Garcia posted a 86.2 rating in the opener with one TD and one INT. Garrison Hearst rushed for 40. Tai Streets caught the TD. The defense produced three takeaways. The Broncos are 1-0 with Brian Griese averaging 280 passing yards in the opener. Olandis Gary averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Rod Smith led the team in receiving. Vegas opens the 49ers as 1-point home favorites; total 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 1-0 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 1-0 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 1-0 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 0-1 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-1 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-1 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 1-0 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-0 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 1-0 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 1-0 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-0 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 1-0 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 0-1 | -- |
| St. Louis Rams | 0-1 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 1-0 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-1 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 0-1 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 1-0 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 1-0 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 0-1 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 1-0 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-0 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-1 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-1 | L1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Terrell Owens 8 yard pass from Jeff Garcia ( Jose Cortez kick) | 0-7 |
| Broncos | Jason Elam 28 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Mike Anderson 1 yard pass from Brian Griese ( Jason Elam kick) | 10-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Olandis Gary 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick) | 17-7 |
| Broncos | Scottie Montgomery 11 yard pass from Brian Griese ( Jason Elam kick) | 24-7 |
| 49ers | Jeff Garcia 1 yard rush ( Jose Cortez kick) | 24-14 |
Brian Griese threw two touchdown passes and the Denver Broncos beat the 49ers 24-14 at Candlestick Park. Griese finished 14-of-19 for 119 yards. Olandis Gary ran for 61 with a touchdown. Jeff Garcia threw for 205 yards and a touchdown. Eric Johnson caught seven for 69. Kevan Barlow ran for 47. The 49ers fell to 1-1 in the home opener.[1][2][3]
Brian Griese went 14-of-19 for 119 yards and two touchdowns Sunday afternoon at Candlestick. The Denver Broncos beat the 49ers 24-14 in the kind of home opener where the visiting AFC contender's offense, with Griese's efficient passing, produced the kind of game its 1-0 record predicted.
Jeff Garcia threw a touchdown but added an interception. Eric Johnson caught seven for 69. Kevan Barlow ran for 47. Olandis Gary ran for 61 with a touchdown for the Broncos. The 49ers' defense surrendered 24 points to a Denver team that produced exactly the kind of game its first-week win predicted.
1-1. The kind of home opener loss where, against an AFC contender, the year's identity tape produced a credible-but-losing performance. The Washington Redskins on the road next Sunday in another cross-conference matchup. The kind of September where the year's competitive identity, two weeks in, has produced the kind of split tape the staff was expecting.
Broncos 24, 49ers 14. Margin: -10. Two-game record: 1-1, -7 differential.
* Brian Griese: 14-of-19 for 119, 2 TDs, 0 INTs.
* Olandis Gary: 12 carries for 61, 1 TD.
* Rod Smith: receiving production.
* Jeff Garcia: 27-of-36 for 205, 1 TD, 1 INT.
* Kevan Barlow: 7 carries for 47.
* Eric Johnson: 7 catches for 69.
* 49ers 1-1; Broncos 2-0.
A 24-14 home opener loss to the Denver Broncos at Candlestick. The 49ers fall to 1-1.
How it unfolded
Denver scored on its opening drive with a Griese touchdown to make it 7-0. The 49ers answered with a Jose Cortez field goal to make it 7-3. The Broncos added a second touchdown to push the lead to 14-3. The 49ers added a Garcia touchdown to make it 14-10 at halftime. The third quarter was a Denver touchdown to push the lead to 21-10. The fourth quarter was a Cortez field goal and a 49ers touchdown to close it 24-14. The Broncos added a final field goal.
The turning point
The Broncos' third-quarter touchdown. With the 49ers down 14-10 and the offense looking for the kind of comeback the year's identity tape has produced, Denver's answering touchdown gave them the two-score lead they used to manage the rest of the game.
By the numbers
Garcia 205 passing on 36 attempts with a TD and an INT. Kevan Barlow 47 rushing on 7 carries. Eric Johnson 69 receiving on 7 catches. Owens 50 receiving. Griese 119 on 19 attempts with two TDs. Olandis Gary 61 rushing with a TD.
Personnel watch
Eric Johnson's seven-catch breakout day. Kevan Barlow's productive rushing day off the bench. Jeff Garcia's interception. The defense surrendering 24 to an AFC contender. The kind of home opener loss where the year's identity tape produced a credible-but-losing performance.
What it means
1-1 with the Redskins on the road next Sunday. The kind of home opener loss where, against an AFC contender, the box score was the kind of result the line predicted. The year's identity tape continues to look like a playoff-caliber team that needs to keep building.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Jeff Garcia | 27/36 | 205 | 1 | 1 | |
| DEN | |||||
| Brian Griese | 14/19 | 119 | 2 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Kevan Barlow | 7 | 47 | 0 | 31 |
| Jeff Garcia | 5 | 13 | 1 | 8 |
| Fred Beasley | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Garrison Hearst | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| DEN | ||||
| Mike Anderson | 10 | 95 | 0 | 32 |
| Olandis Gary | 12 | 61 | 1 | 26 |
| Ed McCaffrey | 2 | 22 | 0 | 17 |
| Brian Griese | 4 | 14 | 0 | 11 |
| Clinton Portis | 4 | 12 | 0 | 6 |
| Rod Smith | 3 | -3 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Eric Johnson | 7 | 69 | 0 | 15 |
| Terrell Owens | 5 | 38 | 1 | 9 |
| Garrison Hearst | 6 | 30 | 0 | 11 |
| J.J. Stokes | 4 | 28 | 0 | 11 |
| Fred Beasley | 3 | 18 | 0 | 12 |
| Tai Streets | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Kevan Barlow | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| DEN | ||||
| Shannon Sharpe | 5 | 52 | 0 | 16 |
| Rod Smith | 3 | 22 | 0 | 12 |
| Olandis Gary | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Ed McCaffrey | 2 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
| Ashley Lelie | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Scottie Montgomery | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Mike Anderson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2002 W2 - 49ers vs Denver Broncos - Game Thread
