August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Trent Sherfield Sr. (5) is congratulated by quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) for scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The Denver Broncos crushed the San Francisco 49ers in preseason Game 1, 30-9. It wasn’t always pretty, especially from the Broncos’ first-team offense and defense, but after starting in a nine-point hole, Denver dropped 30 unanswered points on the 49ers, cruising to victory.
We’ve already laid out the key takeaways from Saturday night’s victory, but now it’s time to break down the Broncos’ biggest risers and fallers coming out of the first preseason game.
Stidham isn’t competing for a job, but it was great to see him go 14-of-15 for 136 yards and two touchdowns. In his third year in the Sean Payton offense, it’s safe to say that Stidham has the playbook mastered.
Sherfield was signed as a free agent purportedly for his special teams acumen. While he’ll certainly provide that, Saturday night revealed that he’s going to be much more of a factor on offense than anyone initially realized. Sherfield caught all three of his targets for 73 yards and an amazing toe-tapping touchdown.
Badie has been pitched in a battle for survival at Broncos camp, and he delivered a striking initial performance, leading all running backs with 32 yards rushing on five carries (6.4 avg). He’s looking like the third-best back but maybe the No. 4 guy on the depth chart.
Not to be outdone, Watson averaged 7.0 yards per carry, rushing for 28 yards on four carries. If he keeps it up, he’ll make it hard on Payton and company to decide on which guy will be the fourth and final running back to make the 53-man roster.
Again, we’re not talking about a guy competing for a job, but Bonitto’s stock is way up coming out of Game 1. His fellow first-teamers on defense turned in an inconsistent performance, but Bonitto was fire, singlehandedly ending one 49ers drive with three straight pressures and a sack.
That extension could be coming shortly.
With All-Pro returner Marvin Mims Jr. being rested on special teams in Santa Clara, CA, Jackson got the bulk of the work, and he did not disappoint. He had a 28-yard kick return, and three punt returns for 37 yards.
Strnad had an amazing tackle for a loss on San Francisco’s opening possession, tackling the ball-carrier three yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Broncos re-signed him for a reason, and he’s looking good in his sixth NFL summer.
August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian (29) celebrates an interception against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
McMillian had great coverage on 49ers wideout Jordan Watkins in the first quarter, but a perfectly thrown ball by Mac Jones led to a 50-yard gain. McMillian redeemed himself with an athletic interception later on. Locked in a battle with rookie first-rounder Jahdae Barron, McMillian created some separation on Saturday night.
Robinson was shockingly good. He made several plays, including one open-field tackle on a third-down completion that stopped a 49ers would-be conversion.
The second-year cornerback had himself a night, picking off a pass and being around the ball. His interception was called back due to a D-line penalty, but he’s looking stellar entering Year 2.
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
Again, Nix isn’t competing for a job. As the understood incumbent starter coming off a historic rookie season, he’s the Broncos’ guy, but his first action of the 2025 season was mostly forgettable.
Nix started off the night 3-of-4 and the first incompletion was a dime down the left sideline to Courtland Sutton, who bobbled the pass, unfortunately. Nix did face some pressure, and on one of them, he lost sight of where he was on the field, and threw the ball away in his own end zone without realizing he was still in the tackle box, triggering an intentional grounding penalty and resulting in a safety.
Call it first-game jitters, but Nix and the first-team offense left a lot of opportunities out on the field. He missed an over-the-top throw to Troy Franklin, which would have been a massive play, and almost got picked off in the end zone trying to connect with Sutton. Those types of underthrown balls could cost the Broncos if Nix doesn’t get it corrected.
Expect to see an improved quarterback in Game 2.
Estime’s fall from grace has been striking. After finishing his rookie season as a healthy scratch in Buffalo, he turned in a lackluster 2.7 yards-per-carry performance vs. the 49ers. The 2024 fifth-rounder seems to be the lowest guy on Denver’s running back totem pole.
Uwazurike was a relative non-factor at times and his penalty erased a takeaway (Abrams-Draine). With Payton confirming that Matt Henningsen is done for the year with an Achilles tear, the Broncos need more from their depth D-linemen moving forward.
In his first NFL action, the rookie sixth-rounder was underwhelming. Finishing with a gross punting average of 37.0 and a net of 27.7, suffice it to say, the Broncos will need Crawshaw to improve his production significantly.
It’s not that Bailey played poorly; it’s that he didn’t pop. That’s conspicuous, considering how much momentum he’d built up in practice since training camp began. With the injuries the Broncos have on the inside linebacker depth chart above Bailey, his opportunity to secure a job could slip away if he’s unable to translate his practice production to the grid-iron.
McLaughlin was the third back onto the field, but he struggled to get things going, and it wasn’t always his fault. Penalties were a nuissance for him on Saturday night, but he’s got to do better than 1.7 yards per carry on three attempts to fend of the likes of Badie and Watson.
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