Aug 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) scrambles away from Denver Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images
The Denver Broncos’ first preseason game is in the books. The Broncos left the Bay Area with a decisive 30-9 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
There are many takeaways from Denver’s first exhibition contest of 2025, and the big three can be summed up with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Looking back at the game, there are several things to be excited about, but on the opposite side of the coin, there are blemishes that need to be cleared up.
Let’s start with a spoonful of sugar before we take our medicine.
Denver’s defense started the day giving up a touchdown to 49ers running back Patrick Taylor after Broncos’ nickel corner Ja’Quan McMillian relinquished a huge 50-yard completion, but the unit clamped down for the remainder of the game.
The defense didn’t surrender a single point past the first drive, and three different Broncos (McMillian, Karene Reid, and Joshua Pickett) came away with interceptions. Nik Bonitto wrecked an entire drive with a sack, a half-sack, and pressure in a three-play sequence that revealed him to be in midseason form.
Once this defense gets to use more creative coverages and exotic blitzes rather than the vanilla calls that come with preseason play, it’ll easily be a top-three unit in the NFL.
Aug 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) drops back to pass in the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. / David Gonzales-Imagn Images
The Broncos’ first-team offense as a whole left much to be desired, but the interior offensive line stood out as a problem. Niners’ rookie defensive tackle CJ West broke through the Broncos’ line with ease, throwing off any rhythm they tried to develop.
Bo Nix had trouble making decisions with pressure bearing down on him, and having your center or guard pushed right into your face makes any quarterback’s life absolute hell. Left guard Ben Powers and center Luke Wattenburg must have a better showing going forward if this Denver offense wants to get off the ground.
August 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
In several games in 2024, the Broncos’ offense failed to explode out of the gate, leaving the door open for their opponents to take an early lead. Saturday was no different, as Nix and the offense were uglier than a blobfish, only managing three points against the Niners’ backup defense.
Courtland Sutton had a crucial drop, the run game was largely ineffective, and Nix gave up a safety after chucking the ball out of bounds while in the end zone, resulting in an intentional grounding call. Yes, it was the first preseason game, but the lack of urgency and technical soundness from Denver’s offense can’t continue if this team truly wants to be a championship-level squad.
The Broncos may have won handily on Saturday, but wins and losses in the preseason are meaningless if they don’t learn from mistakes and recognize what does work heading into the regular season. The defense will answer the call when the phone rings, but the offense still needs to turn up the ringtone, or the only buzz they’ll get is the sting of failure.
