The Denver Broncos face their toughest test yet this season in today’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
Denver Broncos ‘ game plan vs. Christian McCaffrey must be airtight
There will be three specific matchups in today’s game between the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers that will determine the outcome here in Week 4.
Broncos defense vs. Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey still has it. Any time he’s healthy, he’s a problem for any NFL defense and he’ll provide a different challenge this week to a Broncos defense that has struggled against the run this year.
Coming into today’s game, McCaffrey hasn’t hit 100 yards rushing in a single game, but he has been efficient on the ground in two games, averaging 6.8 yards per carry against the Rams in Week 1, and 5.0 yards per carry last week against the Arizona Cardinals, where he finished with 15 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown. He had two rushing touchdowns in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins
Not only is he a threat on the ground, but he’s also a matchup nightmare against linebackers who have to match him. Last week against Arizona, he caught four of his five targets for 41 yards, and hauled in all four targets in Week 2 against Miami for 43 yards.
Denver’s defense so far this season has surrendered 220 rushing yards to Kansas City, mostly to Kenneth Walker. In Week 2 vs. Jacksonville Bhayshul Tuten had 65 rushing yards on 13 carries (5.0 yards per carry). Against the Rams on Sunday Night, the Broncos allowed 116 rushing yards and allowed Kyren Williams to go off for 158 all-purpose yards (88 rushing, 70 receiving) in Denver’s comeback win.
Slowing down and limiting the explosive plays from McCaffrey today will be paramount.
Patrick Surtain II vs. Mike Evans
Mike Evans is going to try and give it a go here today, according to all reports coming out of San Francisco. He took a massive shot last week to the ribs that required him to be carted back to the locker room.
He’s hauled in 12 catches on 16 targets this season for 137 yards and three touchdowns, including two touchdown catches last week against the Cardinals. Evans is averaging 2.0 yards of separation on his 16 targets this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
If he does in fact play, he’ll draw the coverage assignment of Patrick Surtain II, who is coming off of an epic battle with Davante Adams last Sunday night.
Surtain will be the toughest cornerback Evans has faced this season. It will be hard for Evans to maintain his 11.4 yards per reception average this season against a true man-to-man cover corner.
The last time these two faced off was back in 2024, when Surtain held him to two catches for 17 yards on three targets.
Jaylen Waddle vs. Deommodore Lenoir
After exploding against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, the Broncos will be aiming for another big game from Jaylen Waddle. Last Sunday against the Rams, Waddle hauled in two catches on seven targets for 10 yards against a primary Cover 3 zone defense, but did haul in an incredible two-point conversion.
Waddle showed up in other areas on Sunday, blocking his tail off on several big receptions from Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin, and also had a 14-yard rushing play on a sweep.
He will likely draw the coverage assignment of Deommodore Lenoir, who is San Francisco’s best cornerback in various situations.
According to Next Gen Stats, Lenoir has allowed 13 catches on 18 targets this season for 84 yards, allowing an 81.7 passer rating. He was targeted seven times last week against Arizona and allowed 5 catches for 26 yards, keeping everything in front of him inside San Francisco’s zone scheme and then rallying to tackle.
Primarily, he’s aligned at outside corner on 156 snaps, inside the slot on seven defensive snaps, and aligned inside at linebacker on 12 snaps in certain passing-down situations in San Francisco’s dime package.
Waddle could be the key today for Denver’s offense having an explosive output.