The 49ers (2-10) host the Denver Broncos (6-6) at Levi's Stadium for a 1:25 PT kickoff.
Case Keenum is the Broncos' QB1 in his first year with Denver after the offseason trade from Minnesota. Vance Joseph coaches the Broncos. Nick Mullens makes his fourth NFL start for the 49ers.
Matt Breida continues at lead back. The Broncos are coming off three straight wins.[1][2][3]
Case Keenum, in his first Denver season after Minnesota let him test free agency, has the Broncos at 6-6 and on a three-game winning streak. The Broncos' defense leads the team.
The 49ers, at 2-10, get a home matchup the rebuild can manage. Mullens's fourth start. A spot the team should produce a competitive home result.
Favored by 1.5. A game where the home offense needs to produce.
Week 14 is the December playoff-positioning sort. The Rams (11-1), Saints (10-2), Bears (8-4), Vikings (6-5-1), and Cowboys (7-5) lead the NFC's competitive tier. The Broncos (6-6) are in the AFC wild-card chase. The 49ers (2-10) are at the bottom. The Sunday home game is the kind of week the rebuilding 49ers have a chance to play spoiler against a wild-card chaser.
Through twelve games the 49ers are 2-10 with a -81 point differential. The Broncos are 6-6 with a -8. Case Keenum averages 245 passing per game with 15 TDs and 8 INTs. Phillip Lindsay leads NFL rookies in rushing (904 yards). Matt Breida 500 rushing yards in last 5 games. Vegas opens the 49ers as 1.5-point home favorites; total 42.5.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 9-3 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-6 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4-8 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 3-9 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-4-1 | L2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 7-5 | W3 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5-7 | L4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-7-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 9-3 | W9 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6-6 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 6-6 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10-2 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 9-3 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 6-6 | W3 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 11-1 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7-5 | W3 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-9 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-10 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 7-5 | W4 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-6 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-6 | L3 |
| New York Giants | 4-8 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 8-4 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-5-1 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-7-1 | L3 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-8 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 10-2 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6-6 | L4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-7 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4-8 | L4 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Robbie Gould 40 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Robbie Gould 29 yard field goal | 0-6 |
| 49ers | George Kittle 85 yard pass from Nick Mullens ( Robbie Gould kick) | 0-13 |
| 49ers | Dante Pettis 1 yard pass from Nick Mullens ( Robbie Gould kick) | 0-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Phillip Lindsay 3 yard rush ( Brandon McManus kick) | 7-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | DaeSean Hamilton 1 yard pass from Case Keenum ( Brandon McManus kick) | 14-20 |
Robbie Gould kicked four field goals and Nick Mullens threw for 174 yards as the 49ers held the Denver Broncos to 14 points and won 20-14 at Levi's Stadium. Matt Breida ran for 99. Marquise Goodwin caught a TD. Case Keenum threw for 207 and one TD. Phillip Lindsay was held to 30 yards on 15 carries. The 49ers improved to 3-10.[1][2][3]
Robbie Gould kicked four field goals Sunday afternoon at Levi's Stadium. Nick Mullens threw for 174 yards. The 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 20-14 in the kind of Sunday-afternoon home win where the rebuilding team's defense held the line and the kicker did the rest.
Matt Breida ran for 99 yards. Marquise Goodwin caught a touchdown. The 49ers' defense produced two sacks and held Phillip Lindsay, the league's leading rookie rusher, to 30 yards on 15 carries. The kind of complementary home win where the offense produced enough and the defense produced everything.
Case Keenum threw for 207 yards and a touchdown to Tim Patrick. The Broncos' three-game winning streak ended. The kind of Sunday afternoon home win where the Niners' rebuilding identity's record looks slightly less dire. 3-10 with the Seahawks at home in the rematch next week.
49ers 20, Broncos 14. Margin: +6. Thirteen-game record: 3-10, -75 differential.
A 20-14 home win over the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers improve to 3-10 in their best home game since the Raiders blowout.
How it unfolded
The Broncos kicked an opening field goal. Robbie Gould answered with one of his own. Mullens drove the 49ers for a touchdown to Goodwin to make it 10-3. Gould kicked two more field goals to push the halftime lead to 16-3. The Broncos scored a touchdown in the third quarter. Gould kicked his fourth field goal to push the lead to 19-10. The Broncos added a touchdown but a missed two-point conversion left the score at 19-16. A late Gould kick made it 20-14. The 49ers' defense held in the closing minutes.
The turning point
The 49ers' defensive stand on Phillip Lindsay. With the league's leading rookie rusher held to 30 yards on 15 carries, the Broncos' offense was forced to rely on Keenum's arm and the result was the kind of defensive lockdown the Niners' growing roster had only sporadically produced in 2018.
By the numbers
Mullens 18-of-26 for 174 with one TD. Breida 17 carries for 99. Goodwin 4 catches for 50 with a TD. Keenum 22-of-37 for 207 with a TD. Tim Patrick 1 catch for an 8-yard score. Phillip Lindsay 15 carries for 30. The 49ers' two sacks of Keenum.
Personnel watch
Gould's four-field-goal day. Mullens's most-efficient home game. Goodwin's fourth straight game with a touchdown. The defense holding Lindsay to two yards per carry. The kind of Sunday performance where the year-two operation produced its first home win since the Raiders Thursday-night blowout in Week 9.
What it means
3-10 with the Seahawks coming up at home next week in the rematch. The Sunday home win is the kind of complementary result that, in a rebuilding year, gives the staff a glimpse of what the offense and defense can produce when both halves of the team play to their level.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Nick Mullens | 20/33 | 332 | 2 | 1 | |
| DEN | |||||
| Case Keenum | 24/42 | 186 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jeff Wilson | 23 | 90 | 0 | 11 |
| Alfred Morris | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Nick Mullens | 5 | -10 | 0 | 0 |
| DEN | ||||
| Royce Freeman | 6 | 36 | 0 | 23 |
| Phillip Lindsay | 14 | 30 | 1 | 5 |
| Case Keenum | 4 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Patrick | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Andy Janovich | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Courtland Sutton | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| George Kittle | 7 | 210 | 1 | 85 |
| Dante Pettis | 3 | 49 | 1 | 31 |
| Kendrick Bourne | 2 | 22 | 0 | 12 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 2 | 21 | 0 | 17 |
| Marquise Goodwin | 2 | 20 | 0 | 13 |
| Jeff Wilson | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Trent Taylor | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Alfred Morris | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Joe Staley | 1 | -5 | 0 | -5 |
| DEN | ||||
| Tim Patrick | 7 | 85 | 0 | 21 |
| DaeSean Hamilton | 7 | 47 | 1 | 18 |
| Phillip Lindsay | 4 | 21 | 0 | 9 |
| Courtland Sutton | 2 | 14 | 0 | 10 |
| Devontae Booker | 2 | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| Brian Parker | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Matt LaCosse | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
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