Denver Broncos: Studs and duds from 24-14 loss to 49ers - Broncos Wire
The Denver Broncos likely couldn't wait to get out of Santa Clara following their 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, which dropped them to 2-2 in the middle of their toughest stretch of the season. Denver continued their streaky ways, going cold in the first three quarters, and showing life in the fourth.
In the midst of the loss, we take a look at the biggest studs and duds from Week 4.
Harvey led the Broncos with 19 touches (kicking, receiving and rushing) for 157 all-purpose yards. Harvey looked explosive, breaking tackles on runs, athletic on plays out of the backfield, and shot out of a cannon on returns. Harvey looks like he could very well take over RB1 duties after J.K. Dobbins looked sluggish on Sunday. When Coleman gets healthy, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Dobbins' touches could decrease even more.
Dobbins looked frustrated at his lack of touches on the sideline throughout the first half. Dobbins did finish the game with 13 touches for 52 yards, but he looked sluggish on Sunday. He is coming off a hip injury that landed him on the injury report ahead of the 49ers game. It's hard to see him not being affected by it.
Although Waddle had an early drop, he made up for it with his first touchdown catch as a Bronco. Late in the fourth quarter, Waddle caught a Bo Nix pass, stopped on a dime, juked out a 49er defender and scored standing up. The score at the moment brought Denver within 3 points, and injected some life into the team. Hopefully it's the first of many for Waddle in orange and blue.
Denver had the injury bug hit them, take a minuscule break, and then punch them below the belt in a brutal way on Sunday. The Broncos at some point or another saw Zach Allen get up slowly, Tyler Badie get banged up, Pat Surtain limp off assisted after suffering a non-contact injury in the first half, Riley Moss miss the second half with a rib issue, and Pat Bryant get carted off with an ankle injury after the longest Broncos play of the day. Whether it was just bad luck, or the fault of the electrical substation which lies on the property surrounding Levi's Stadium, the Denver Broncos now need to heal in a big way. The healthiest team in the NFL the past two years is now in danger of derailing because of injuries.
Although the Broncos made it close late, they couldn't distance themselves early. Despite getting a quick three points early, they kept it at 3-0 for most of the second quarter, and were unable to pull away. They only have 13 points through games in the first half. The fast starts just aren't happening, and it's a problem. The Broncos live or die by the streak. Denver has lived on the edge for a long time. Have they exhausted their luck?
The Broncos will look to rebound in Week 5 against their divisional rivals, the winless Los Angeles Chargers, in the second stop of their West Coast trip.
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