The 49ers felt the heat Sunday.
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49ers → feel → heat
From the temperatures on the field that flirted with 90 degrees, one of the hottest games on record in the decade they’ve called Levi’s Stadium home.
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they → flirt → Stadium
And from the Denver Broncos, who entered Levi’s Stadium representing the biggest challenge Kyle Shanahan’s team has faced to date and lived up to the billing.
Brock Purdy overcame a slow start, the 49ers defense withstood a slew of injuries and San Francisco held on to remain unbeaten through four games.
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Francisco → enter → games
SNEAK GOES AWRY
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SNEAK → go → AWRY
Coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t typically call for a quarterback sneak unless the yardage is all but guaranteed, so the playcall on a long fourth-and-1 was already out of character.
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playcall → call → character
It didn’t work out, resulting in a turnover on downs, and it was fair to wonder if that’s all that went wrong.
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that → work → downs
Purdy came away from the pile with both shoulder pads exposed and acting as if he was shook up on the sneak, shaking his throwing arm as he moseyed back to the sideline.
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he → come → sideline
Purdy didn’t miss a snap, but he wasn’t the same pinpoint quarterback that put himself in the MVP conversation through the first three weeks.
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that → miss → weeks
He was off-target on a handful of throws that resulted in incompletions, including one to Mike Evans on third-and-goal, settling for a field goal.
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that → result → goal
Whether Purdy received treatment at halftime, or benefited from the Broncos’ top cornerback, Patrick Surtain II, leaving with an ankle injury, Purdy was more of himself in the second half.
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Purdy → receive → half
Purdy had completed only half of his first 20 attempts but connected on nine of his final 10 passes, including all four on a nine-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that put them up 17-6 with 8:52 to play and a 56-yard strike to George Kittle that sealed the win on their next drive.
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that → complete → drive
Perhaps most importantly, even when Purdy wasn’t on target, he took care of the football and the 49ers took care of him.
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49ers → take → him
For the first time this season, the Broncos defense failed to record a sack or force a turnover.
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defense → fail → turnover
It’s hardly been out of the ordinary for even elite quarterbacks to have a hard time against this Denver defense.
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quarterbacks → have → defense
The Broncos had faced Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence and Jared Goff and limited them to a 74.3 combined passer rating, third best in the NFL.
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Broncos → face → NFL
Purdy still managed to put up the best performance of them all, notching his fourth consecutive game with a passer rating of 100 or better (107.1).
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Purdy → manage → 100
EVANS IS ALL RIGHT
Purdy managed to maintain his connection with Mike Evans, despite the veteran receiver being a game-time decision and forced to wear a flak jacket after injuring his ribs last week.
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receiver → manage → ribs
While he missed Evans on three of his eight targets, including the crucial third down at the Broncos’ 4-yard line, Evans gutted through pain to haul in a team-high 76 yards on five catches.
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Evans → miss → catches
The most significant loss to come out of the win was fullback Kyle Jusczyzk, who took a hard hit after hauling in a late first-down catch and was ruled out with an unspecified knee injury.
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who → come → injury
WHERE’D THE ‘O’ GO?
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O → go → ?
With Purdy out of whack in the first half, the 49ers followed in the footsteps of the Broncos’ previous foes and turned their focus to the ground game, with Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel both carrying the ball for big gains.
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McCaffrey → follow → gains
But the 49ers were kept out of the end zone before halftime for the first time in three games and what has been far and away the most efficient offense in the NFL largely grinded to a halt.
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been → keep → halt
San Francisco was stuffed on third- or fourth-and-short on multiple occasions, converting only seven of its 15 third- or fourth down attempts.
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Francisco → stuff → attempts
McCaffrey was stopped short on third-and-4, setting up Purdy’s unsuccessful sneak attempt, and again on third-and-1, forcing a three-and-out.
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McCaffrey → stop → out
But when the defense finally faltered, allowing the Broncos to reach the end zone for the first time with 4:04 to play and cut the lead to 17-14, the offense picked up the slack.
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offense → falter → slack
Purdy found Kittle, who outran former teammate Talanoa Hufanga 56 yards across the goal line for the game-sealing score and the 49ers’ longest play of the afternoon.
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who → find → afternoon
But they survived anyway.
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they → survive → ?
Major credit goes to their significantly undermanned defense, which was already missing Nick Bosa and a handful of starters and withstood Fred Warner’s multiple trips into the injury tent.
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which → go → tent
At one point, it appeared that the unit was in for more of the same, allowing Denver to convert five of its first eight third-down attempts.
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Denver → appear → attempts
The Broncos mounted a 13-play, nearly eight-minute drive that ended in the first points the 49ers have allowed in the first quarter all season.
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49ers → mount → quarter
Malik Mustapha made an impressive diving pass breakup on the Broncos’ next third-down attempt, and Denver went on to move the chains on only three of its final nine attempts.
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Denver → make → attempts
A unit that wore down in the second half last week seemed to only get stronger as this game went on, doubly impressive given the numbers on their depth chart and the thermometer.
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game → wear → chart
ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
It wasn’t the prettiest or most convincing, but a win is a win.
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win → ’ → ?
At 4-0, the 49ers would surely like to win next week in Seattle, but it’s hardly a necessity.
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it → like → Seattle
Moreover, Shanahan has to be happy with the performance from his defense, and there were even encouraging signs hidden within the slog of a day on the other side of the ball.
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Shanahan → have → ball
The running game was as efficient as it has been this season and the offensive line kept Purdy upright for the fourth straight game, even against a defense that led the NFL with 68 sacks last season.
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that → keep → sacks
Just about everything besides health had worked in the 49ers’ favor through the first three weeks.
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everything → work → weeks
Against the Broncos, they proved they don’t have to play their “A” game to be formidable.
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they → prove → game
The Aporia
