George Kittle's 56-Yard Dash Seals Unbeaten 49ers' 24-14 Win Over Broncos
Brock Purdy throws two touchdown passes as San Francisco scores three straight second-half touchdowns to reach 4-0
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File photo: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) lines up against the Los Angeles Rams in December 2024. Photo: Bentheeditior, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy threw two touchdown passes and Christian McCaffrey ran for another as the San Francisco 49ers scored touchdowns on three straight second-half possessions to beat the Denver Broncos 24-14 on Sunday and improve to 4-0, the Associated Press reported.
The game was tied 3-3 at halftime after a San Francisco field goal attempt was blocked on the final play of the first half.
Neal's punt-return strip turns the game
The momentum swung in the third quarter when Siran Neal forced a fumble from Broncos returner Marvin Mims Jr. and recovered it himself at the Denver 28-yard line, the 49ers' official website reported. Purdy capped the short drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel for a 10-3 lead, and McCaffrey's 1-yard run made it 17-6 midway through the fourth quarter.
Bo Nix pulled Denver within 17-14 with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle and a two-point conversion with 4:05 left. But Kittle took a screen pass and outraced former teammate Talanoa Hufanga for a 56-yard touchdown with 2:15 to go.
"Any time you see green grass, I think I ran the entire time with a smile on my face," said Kittle, who turns 33 on Friday.
Purdy went 19 of 30 for 218 yards with no turnovers and was not sacked for a fourth straight game. "We wanted to break through whatever that was and just be ourselves," he said.
Broncos lose key defenders
Denver (2-2) lost both starting cornerbacks to injury, including two-time All-Pro Patrick Surtain II, who hurt an ankle, while Riley Moss left with a rib injury, AP said. Nix finished 25 of 42 for 214 yards and one touchdown.
"We just didn't have enough offense to get a lead and then go beyond that," Broncos coach Sean Payton said.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw led San Francisco with 12 tackles and forced a fourth-quarter fumble. The game was also Kyle Shanahan's 167th regular-season game as 49ers coach, passing Bill Walsh for the most in franchise history, according to 49ers.com.
The 49ers visit Seattle next Sunday, while the Broncos travel to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sources: Associated Press (via ESPN); 49ers.com
