Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - CHALLENGE: Denver Broncos Will Face NFL's MOST EXPLOSIVE Offense vs. 49ers

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos faced their toughest test yet as they have to face the most explosive offense in the NFL. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's up, Broncos country? Happy Wednesday. Cody Rourke, Sarah Bedinger, two of the longest tenured voices in Broncos country. We got a lot to break down as we get a look at the tail of the tape here for the Broncos and 49ers ahead of Sunday's matchup on the road for this team. here specifically. Make sure to follow and listen over on Amazon music. So you never miss an episode. Today we're going to tell you why the Broncos defense has the work cut out for them because

Starting point is 00:00:43 they're going up against the most explosive offense right now in the NFL. And there's several areas they got to be on their peas and cues with. Then we'll talk about why the Broncos' offense, yes, we want them to get off to a fast start, but they need to find sustainability against this San Francisco defense specifically. And then we'll wrap things up by telling you about the Broncos biggest threats they got to go against on Sunday, including George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and a future Hall of Fame linebacker and Fred Warner. You get all that here on today's episode of the show. Sarah, where do we even start with this one, right?

Starting point is 00:01:12 Like we were talking about the gauntlet of a schedule that Denver faced early on the off season so far throughout the first three games. They're two and one, which is a nice start, great place to be. And they face some tough teams early on here, Kansas City, obviously Jacksonville, this past week against the Los Angeles Rams. And now the test gets a little bit tougher here coming in a week four because the Broncos have to go up against Brock Purdy. Kyle Shanahan's offense, which we know gives everybody problems.

Starting point is 00:01:38 But when you look at the tell the tape of this matchup through the first three weeks, this 49ers offense has the most explosive offense in the entire NFL, and they can create a lot of problems. It absolutely can, Cody, and you're 100% right. I mean, they are number one in net passing yards per attempt at 9.5 in the NFL. They're number four in the NFL with 5.1 rushing yards per attempt. So we've seen like the explosiveness is, The big playability is there for this team.

Starting point is 00:02:06 And it's still early in the season, right? But obviously, you look at what sample you have at your disposal. And what we have at our disposal here is some impressive stuff from the 49ers perspective. Obviously, the stars of this team, we know them, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Debo Samuel. Well, how about this? Debo Samuel, Cody, leads that trio, 14 and a half yards per touch this season. George Kittle is actually tied for the lead at 14 and a half yards per touch. and Christian McCaffrey is already after a roaring start this season with 270 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdown.

Starting point is 00:02:39 So these guys, they all get involved. And yes, they've had injury issues. Yes, the electrical substation has been the subplot for this 49ers team all year, which is hilarious, by the way. I mean, at least, you know, the 49ers could embrace the fact that that thing is right there next to their facility. It's just funny. But what's not funny is injuries. But at the same time, they don't seem to matter for this team. team. Like they've had a lot of injuries.

Starting point is 00:03:04 They've had a lot of players go down. They're still putting up more points than anybody else. So this is an impressive, everything the Broncos fans wanted to see this season from the offense in terms of consistency, balance, big plays, efficiency, cashing in when you get to the red zone, cashing in on third down. Well, that's exactly what the 49ers are. Well, and you pointed out there that like those money down specifically, like let's talk about third down. They're the number one offense right now in all of the NFL on third down

Starting point is 00:03:34 conversion rate. 62.9, 6% of the time they're converting on third down. They're very efficient. Last week against the Cardinals, they were five of eight and they put up over 400 plus yards of offense. I mean, once again, that tells you like, okay, hey, eight situations where they were on third down, they converted five of them, but they were having explosive plays on first down, explosive plays on second down. I mean, right now they lead the NFL in yards per play right now, 7.35. Think about it from that standpoint, sir. That's crazy. Like when you look at the overall average through three games and the teams that they have certainly played, it's, hey, really on first down, we're getting seven yards. That makes it easy for us to run the football. Like, it's

Starting point is 00:04:12 that winning complimentary style of football that you just alluded to that we want the Broncos to play. But not only that, they're the best red zone offense right now in the NFL. They've converted 90% of their attempts so far this season. They're coming off of a game where they scored 36 points. Granted, everyone's talking about the Cardinals. And I know in the off season, preseason. We're saying, hey, they might be the worst team in the NFL. That might be picking first overall next year while they beat the Chargers and they put up a fight against this 49ers team specifically last week. That's what worries be. But also the other thing, too, what has helped them is they stay on schedules there. Brock Purdy has a lot of good pieces around him. They got a

Starting point is 00:04:47 balanced run game, not only with Christian McCaffrey, but the guy's behind him. But they don't have those plays where Purdy's dropping back and he's getting pressured or sacked and is turning the football. or he has not been sacked yet so far through the first three weeks of the season, and they were going up against Miles Garrett at that point in week one in Australia, where the 49ers just beat the brakes off of the Rams. Now, granted, is it a different Rams team then than I think than what they saw in week one. So I'm curious when they face off again what that matchup is like. But right now, I think I look at it on paper, the Broncos defense,

Starting point is 00:05:19 they're going to have their work cut out for them because this is, once again, a variation of the Shanahan offense, Kyle Shanahan running a variation of his father's. Last week, Sean McVeigh ran a variation of Mike's system where it was heavy 11 personnel, heavy 13 personnel. This week it's going to be heavy 11 personnel and heavy 21 personnel, two backs and one tight end. And you know those two backs, Christian McCaffrey and Kyle Euse Check. And then you have Kittle who's coming off of a two touchdown performance. Right now on paper, this does feel like the toughest matchup the Broncos are going to face so far this season.

Starting point is 00:05:51 No doubt. And when you look at this, you have the feel. and from the Broncos perspective, like there's no reason for 49ers fans to clip any of this, although they very well could. The mentality from the Broncos side of things has to be like, what goes up must come down, right? Eventually. And it might not happen against the Broncos, right?

Starting point is 00:06:11 But we hope that it will. We hope that what goes up or what has gone up for the first three games will come crashing down in this game. I want to see Brock Purdy getting sacked by this Denver Broncos defensive front. I want to see them failing when they get. to the red zone because this season, right? We're talking about all the good things about the 49ers right now and justifiably so. You got to know the threat of the enemy that you're facing, right?

Starting point is 00:06:35 Brock Purdy has nine touchdowns on 83 pass attempts. That means that at a greater than 10% rate, less than one out of every 10 passes that he makes is going for a touchdown. That is insane. I mean, just imagine if the Broncos had that level of offensive output right now, they would be winning, you know, by 70 points every single week. So what you're looking at here is an offense for the 49ers that back-to-back weeks, they face the Cardinals, they face the Miami Dolphins. Everybody, every one of those players on each of those teams,

Starting point is 00:07:08 they get paid to play the game, right? The Los Angeles Rams, they're a good team. They also, you know, kind of slept walked through that game because they flew the day before to get to Australia. So I don't want to make excuses for the Rant or the 49ers success by any means. But what I will say is, remember going into the Jacksonville game in week two, all the discussion was, oh, my gosh, since week nine of last season or whatever it was, the Jaguars are plus 177 and point differential. And there's no way the Broncos, the way they played against the Kansas City Chiefs are going to be able to go and beat these even in Denver. It's not going to happen. Well, I'm just saying, I'm just throwing it out there.

Starting point is 00:07:49 Every individual game is different. Every matchup is different, and the Broncos are uniquely suited to be able to be the buzzsaw for this 49ers offense. And I think they have the personnel to be able to do it too. And I also think of, you know, big key. Well, Mike Evans play this week. He's day to day with a rib injury. Who draws that coverage assignment? Is it PS2?

Starting point is 00:08:09 Is it Riley Moss? I'm very curious about that. But then, you know, it's, hey, when you come out on these two back sets and you have this fullback who's an athletic tight-end hybrid guy that can also hurt you in an intermediate passing game, How do they try to attack the Broncos defense? Are they going to try to attack the perimeter in the run game because Denver's been a little susceptible early on this season? They're on the outside perimeter edge or in between in the sea gaps or they're going to pick on the linebackers a little bit. I'm very curious to see what Vance Joseph, who luckily he has gone against these systems and these offenses, you know, when he was the DC over there for the Arizona Cardinals just years ago, he understands it,

Starting point is 00:08:45 which I think gives me a little bit of reprieve on that. But the thing I look at here is what is the secret key to putting a key? cap on that explosive offense that the 49ers certainly have. And if Brock Purdy hasn't been sacked yet, you know that's going to be one of the goals here for the Broncos getting them behind the sticks because, heck, third and long, second and long, this 49ers team can attack down field. I mean, they opened up the game, Sarah, her first offensive drive against AZ. They ran a hook and ladder.

Starting point is 00:09:11 So you almost want to guarantee that, hey, okay, the Broncos is going to have to pay attention to that because also Denver in the playoffs against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills gave up a hook and ladder. So there might be something that they're looking at saying, we're going to draw into this. If there's a certain look that we get based on this formation, we might run that again. We might do a variation. They are going to be a team that I think is going to look to capitalize on explosives. So Riley Moss is going to be under the microscope this week. PS2, same thing as well. Denver's going to have to cap that this week if they want to win on Sunday to improve the three and one on the season. We talk about the Broncos defense, how they match up with the 49ers

Starting point is 00:09:46 offense. What about the Broncos offense against the 49ers defense led by a Hall of Fame linebacker Fred Warner. We'll talk about what Denver needs to do to create sustainability on Sunday. Today's episode of the show was brought to you by our friends over there at Prize Picks. Football is finally back and that means Sundays are about to get a whole lot more interesting. Every week brings new matchups, breakout players, big performances, and plenty of storylines to follow.

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Starting point is 00:12:22 One of the offensive line, I didn't catch who it was who said that. Ben Powers. He's like, why can't we do this in the first half? Everybody's asking the same question about the Broncos offense right now, because what has been proven over two plus seasons now with Bow Nix at the helm, there's not an ability issue with this Denver Broncos team. I mean, I've been one to certainly, and I know you and I both, to buy the highs with this team. When they are able to go out there and execute,

Starting point is 00:12:50 when they're able to go out there and play to their fullest potential, this offense is dynamic. It is explosive. It's dangerous. They can beat you in a variety of different ways. Yeah. So it really comes down to finding sustainability like you alluded to a little bit ago. And what does that look like?

Starting point is 00:13:09 I think it starts with as simple. It sounds simple, easier said than done, but it's just executing. from the first drive of the game. Yeah, and look, as cliche as it sounds, and people are saying, well, yeah, obviously the goal is to go out there and execute.

Starting point is 00:13:24 It's what the Broncos aren't doing, what they haven't been doing early on in games, certainly against Kansas City, certainly against Jacksonville, and certainly against the Rams on their first drives. They simply didn't execute. There were certain things. There's breakdowns.

Starting point is 00:13:36 And we talk about it all the time. Football is a game, folks. If you've ever played it, you know exactly what I'm talking about. You could have 10 guys doing their job. One guy messes up, and it could ruin everything in terms of where the offense is at, defense. That's why I think I love football so much is because it's chaos.

Starting point is 00:13:53 There's so many moving pieces and so much is contingent upon guys doing their job and executing. But I think the bigger questions here is how the 49ers might come out into this game here on Sunday specifically and try to attack Bow Nix and the Broncos offense. And I'll be curious, if Denver comes out, are they coming out in shotgun? Are they coming out under center? We don't know that just yet. But regardless of that, teams are. essentially playing a soft shell zone coverage,

Starting point is 00:14:18 and they're saying, we're going to stop the run. We want you to pass. We believe our coverage guys are going to play underneath. Because often at times Denver's route combinations, depending on the different personnel that they've been in, Sarah, I think at best you're getting four guys out on routes, fifth, maybe with a checkdown option. But there are a lot of times when Debra comes out and I would say even 12, 13 personnel,

Starting point is 00:14:36 where they're running three-man route concepts against five guys, six guys that are dropping back into zone. And it's even more predictable when Denver finds themselves in third and long. I'm talking third and eight plus, third and 10 plus, third and 15. Things we've seen. Well, now they're only sending three guys and they're dropping eight guys back in coverage. That makes it so hard for the Broncos to get rhythm. And I think the number one key here is first down, can you get three or four yards, right?

Starting point is 00:15:00 Then it gives you second and manageable. And it's avoiding those things like procedural start penalties. So, you know, if you fall start or an illegal formation, some of the things the Broncos have been dealt with right now or holding, right? Denver can't find themselves in this position against this 49ers team where they set. themselves back behind the sticks because I think specifically if you want to attack the middle of the field, third and long, good luck trying to do that against former Broncos linebacker, Dre Greenlaw, and also that guy who's going to be wearing a gold jacket and Fred Warner. That is going to play right into their hands that the Broncos come out with that same style

Starting point is 00:15:31 early on in this game against San Fran. 100%. And this will be a bit of a revenge game angle for Dre Greenlaw, right? Because obviously things didn't work out for him in Denver. And he's been pretty vocal about, you know, how hard it was even to be in. in Denver, how just the space that he was in while he was in Denver and how tough it was for him, you know, just struggling to get back on the field and being in a new place and being outside of familiarity, all those different things. So there'll be that a little extra juice, I think, coming from him in this game, certainly. But when it comes to matchups, when it comes to, you know,

Starting point is 00:16:06 operating the way the Broncos, I think ideally want to operate Cody, which we know, Sean Payton, he loves to throw him the ball. I mean, he likes to throw the football. And Davis Webb, we know he comes from that air raid background dating back to his time in college. He likes to throw the football. So yes, you need to have balance in a game like this. But also, hey, don't be afraid to go pick apart this 49ers defense because what do they struggle with the most? They struggle with getting to the quarterback, dating back to last season where they were dead last in the NFL last year in sacks. And guess who's not playing in this game?

Starting point is 00:16:38 Guess who's not playing, I guess I don't know when's the next time he's going to play is Nick Bosa. So they have rushers. They have guys who can get to the quarterback. They have guys who can obviously capitalize if coverage holds up on the back end, specifically Odigizua on the interior who they acquired in a trade from the Cowboys, his good looking player has been for a long time, but good acquisition for them. That is one area that I think this Broncos team plays into their strength offensively,

Starting point is 00:17:05 which is, hey, they want to throw the ball. They want to throw it to all levels of the field. They want to use the short passing game as a borderline extension of the running game. I think in a matchup like this against San Fran, those linebackers are going to be key because if they can rally and tackle it. If they can be in their spots in zone coverage, if they can limit that short passing attack, then it forces the Broncos have to go over the top and try to hit deep shots in the game like this.

Starting point is 00:17:29 So it's going to be crucial, I think, for this passing attack, although you want to say balance, passing attack's got to be on point. Yeah, it does. And you want to get into rhythm early on. And what's the number one thing that has at least through three games disrupted the rhythm or the opportunity for Bo Nix to get going. It's just been inconsistencies and pressure. It's the very first offensive series against Jacksonville,

Starting point is 00:17:49 where it's third down. You're trying to convert on a throw to Pat Bryant and Mike McGlinchie gets pushed to the point where he has to step. And then the outside pass rusher for Jacksonville runs into Bo Nix in his upper thigh as he's trying to plant and throw that football. It's Kansas City where they got pressure. They sacked Bo Nix on the very first play of the game. Or it's the Los Angeles Rams game where there was pressure on the inside

Starting point is 00:18:10 and on the outside where Bo couldn't even. to get to the outside edge and all of a sudden, now you have a wasted drive. It's making sure that the offensive line, I think one of the biggest keys for Denver getting off to a hot start or getting off into some good rhythm, I think it all starts with them more so than it starts with Boe Nix. I think Sean Payton even alluded to that after the game. He said before it ever gets to Boe in terms of where our slow starts are,

Starting point is 00:18:31 it goes to so many other people. He said it coaches, but I also think it starts that offensive line. For some reason, they've had a hard time getting off to a hot start. And it's just been instances where there's one guy, breaking down and it's been one guy amongst a group of three players, whether Luke Wattenberg, Ben Powers or Mike McGlinchie that have struggled early on in games to get that rhythm going. So I think it's going to be very key for them against this 49ers defense specifically. I mean, it's a unit that's middle of the pack in terms of rushing yards allowed, passing yards

Starting point is 00:18:59 allowed. They're allowing 105 yards per game on the ground right now, which is good for 15th. They're also allowing 207 yards through the air right now, which is tied for 14th. They haven't taken the football away a lot in terms of the takeaway department. They only have two this season. They have one interception and one fumble recovery. And that came in week one specifically against Matthew Stafford and the Rams. So can the Broncos play uptempo at times?

Starting point is 00:19:22 Can they be crisp? I think the quick passing game is going to be a massive key here for Bo Nix and company. And combining that with the run game where Sarah, the biggest prayer and the hope is that they can get one guy into rhythm and then bring in the other guy to be the change of pace guy. If J.K. Dobbins is off to a hot start. Let him ride the hot hand. And then in certain situations, I understand you've got to rotate guys, but then get RJ Harvey in. But this whole, every down we're rotating in a new back is not going to work, in my opinion. It's very, very hard to overcome just that.

Starting point is 00:19:52 And to what that said, Broncos country, Sarah and I are going to continue this conversation by identifying some of the biggest threats to Broncos have to account for here on Sunday on both sides, offensively and defensively, that these guys are the X factors for San Francisco and Denver needs to find a way to neutralize them here on today's episode of the show. This message is a paid partnership with Apple Card. One of my favorite parts of Game Day is everything leading up to it. Getting the house ready for a watch party, putting on my favorite team hoodie,

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Starting point is 00:22:06 through all that here on today's episode of the show. Real quick, I want to say thank you once again to everyone in Broncos country. Thanks for making us your first listen here on the lockdown podcast network, your team every day. Also the number one sports podcast network in the country. We appreciate all you every dayers so much. Sarah, I think when we talk about biggest threats here for the San Francisco team, I feel like in the off season, you look at the roster that they put together. They went out and they traded for Mike Evans. I know he's day to day right now with the ribbon. He took a massive shot in that game. Mike Evans makes this unit drastically better. Give us Brock Purdy, a big sizable weapon that can use his size to go up and make athletic

Starting point is 00:22:40 toughly contested catches. And then you add him into that mix where there's guys like George Kittle, who's one of the best tight ends in the NFL unhealthy, Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Hughescheck, and the wide assortment of talent, even Debo Samuel that helps Brock Purdy thrive. There's so many threats on the offensive side of the ball. If you were to pick one that you're the most worried about here on Sunday, where are you aiming right now?

Starting point is 00:23:04 Well, I'm biased, Cody. but I would say Christian McCaffrey 100%. I mean, obviously the ties to the Broncos organization, being that his dad is one of the best receivers in franchise history, actually interesting little nugget for this game, Cody. There's a very real chance that Cortland Sutton, I think he needs two catches in this game, two or three in order to pass Ed McCaffrey

Starting point is 00:23:26 on the all-time receptions list in Broncos history. So a little interesting nugget that could happen with Christian on the other sideline, but he's the number one guy that I worry about because he's Mr. 2000. What does that mean? Well, every flipping year, the guy has 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Every year you can hand him the ball or give him the ball 400 plus times. That's not an exaggeration.

Starting point is 00:23:47 I mean, I think he has three seasons with at least 2,000 yards from scrimmage. I think he has five or six with at least 1,800 yards from scrimmage. For a guy who was known, remember Broncos fans didn't want to trade for Christian McCaffrey because of his injuries. I remember it very well, Cody, because I was one saying, Hey, trade for Christian McCaffrey. He's awesome. Well, you know, such his life. But yeah, he's that dude.

Starting point is 00:24:11 I mean, he is that type of guy that you circle every single play and everything filters through him. Yeah, and look, I would say as well, like he is the energizer bunny for that offense. And what worries me a little bit about McCaffrey is the fact that the Broncos a few times this year, they've given up the outside perimeter, not, you know, to Kenneth Walker, but they've also given up that C gap, right,

Starting point is 00:24:32 which is where the offensive tackle is in between the office. offensive tackle or even the guard there. They like to stretch it out. Like we've seen Kyron Williams, Blake Corr on this past week, a similar offensive style try to attack there. And then they attack inside. They get the Broncos to collapse. And then those guys bounce it out.

Starting point is 00:24:49 Like it felt like the Broncos tackling last week at times against L.A. was not where it needs to be. Against a guy like Christian McCaffrey, you can't make that mistake because he'll bounce it. He'll get, and he's strong too. He can run through tackles. But if he gets at where you collapse and he bounces it, he's going to be gone.

Starting point is 00:25:04 He's that type of player here. He's the most dangerous guy, I would say, for the Broncos defense coming in this week. But then you have to worry about the tight end dynamic of George Kittle's coming off of a two-touchdown performance. This guy does the dirty work. He's the motion guy at times where they lead him up and he blocks and he pancakes dudes. But then he goes out there and he releases vertically. He can go up on a wheel. Like he can hurt you.

Starting point is 00:25:25 To me, they have all these different weapons. And you talk about their main contributors, Debo, Samuel, Mike Evans. I mean, all these guys are getting the mix. They also have DeMarcus Robinson, who's got really good speed. to add into that mix as well. Jacob Cowan is also another name there. Cadaril Hodge, who the Broncos have gone up against him before. They have really good depth coming into this game here specifically.

Starting point is 00:25:46 So for me, I'm very curious to see how Vance Joseph and the defensive coaches are going into this game saying, okay, if we take away this guy, we need to be okay with living with this guy beating us because they have three guys at every position, wide receiver, tight end, running back. They have guys that can beat you and can hurt you. this is an elite cast of weapons here that the Broncos have to go against this week. So very curious about that.

Starting point is 00:26:08 But let's shift to the defensive side of the ball. I mean, I feel like we kind of already gave it away a little bit. The guy you're the most worried about here going into Sunday's game defensively. Yeah, I mean, Fred Warner, you mentioned him, Cody. He's the boogeyman, right, when it comes to this 49ers defense. But I would say for me, it's Dre Greenlaw because he's got that element of revenge coming against the Broncos. You know, he didn't work out to say the least. It was a rough free agent signing for the Broncos.

Starting point is 00:26:36 And unfortunately, like, I just, I wish it could have worked out because, honestly, having Greg Greenlaw right now would be kind of a breath of fresh air for this team. I mean, they can use Drake Greenlaw. But unfortunately, it's just not how it works in the NFL. I'd be circling him in this game, 100%. He's that guy that I'm looking at at saying, okay, the X factor, he plays with a little bit of an extra edge in this game. He's coming after Bo Nix or he's anticipating.

Starting point is 00:27:02 participating something. He's that guy number 57. I mean, you wish you had him back in orange and blue, but hopefully the Broncos don't let him get too much revenge in this one. Yeah, I mean, watching him so far through three weeks going through and studying the 49ers, watching him and Fred Warner played together. Man, that's a really good unit. I mean, there's a reason like Dre Greenlaw, when he was healthy initially with San Francisco, people were saying, man, if Dre doesn't get hurt in that Super Bowl, things probably changed for the Kansas City Chiefs. They probably don't go on to win that game and the 49ers end up doing it. I mean, that was that kind of sucked the soul out of the 49ers that year,

Starting point is 00:27:36 watching him just kind of step on the field and then tear his Achilles like that. I'm going to go with an X, an X factor here. He's a former Oregon duck. Diomador Lenore, I think is a fantastic corner. I mean, this is a guy who could do a little bit of everything. He's physical, loves to come up and tackle, compress and also has the ability to click and close very quickly. I'll be very curious to see, does he match up on Cortland Sutton or does he match up on Jalen Waddle? And I know a lot of Broncos fans are concerned about Jalen Waddle, you know, there were some pictures circulating online of him in a walking boot after the game. And I will say I did see him limping after the game.

Starting point is 00:28:07 But from what I understand, talking to some people close to Jalen, it's precautionary. He's good. He'll probably be on the injury report here this week. But the expectation is they believe he's going to play this week. So something to monitor, but you want Jalen Wadle fully healthy. And if Jalen Waddle, let's say, is limited in any way, shape, or form, well, then you can almost expect Lenore's going to probably follow Cortland Sutton around a little bit. this is going to be a very physical game between these two teams, not to bring up any cliches or anything,

Starting point is 00:28:36 but I think the 49ers, this is a team I think loves to be aggressive. They want to try to get after the quarterback and they want to try to play their athletes, you know, at the second level of the field in their secondary to go out there and react and break on the football. Has it necessarily worked out for them in terms of the takeaway department for San Francisco.

Starting point is 00:28:51 So Bo Nix, they got to be careful this week. You don't want Bo coming into this game specifically and trying to throw those roll out all the way to the right side, Yolo balls all the way down to the left side. where Cortland Sutton has to play volleyball and spike it down so it's not picked. This is a team. I don't think you can get away with that from specifically on the road.

Starting point is 00:29:08 The road, the environment there, you have a takeaway. That fuels the defense fuels the crowd. And I think that crowd in Denver plays to Denver's advantage. The crowd in San Francisco certainly plays into theirs because that fan base, they also travel well. So for a home game, there's going to be a ton of 49ers fans out there. And it's going to be a loud environment. It is.

Starting point is 00:29:27 And that should be expected. but also the Broncos have some good memories over there at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, don't they? Well, you know, Cody, one advantage, and I'll tease this because I'll bring this up on the crossover episode with the 49ers, locked on 49ers guys. I'm fascinated because this could really be the first time this season that we see if all goes well. I mean, if all goes well, the stars have to align yet. could be the first time this season that we see Marvin Mims and Jalen Waddle on the field together for action for the Denver Broncos. Marvin was obviously kind of testing his foot injury before that Sunday night game.

Starting point is 00:30:06 I don't know that there was ever an intention for him to actually try to play, but definitely you get the impression that, hey, if he's testing it out pregame, next week is kind of your target potentially. And so we'll see if all goes well, Jalen is okay, if Marvin is okay, that could be a little wrinkle you throw in at the 4.9, Niners haven't seen. There's no tape of that right now. There's no tape on that version of the offense. So a little something, something there we'll talk about on the crossover episode.

Starting point is 00:30:31 It's got me feeling nicely. I'm excited when you mention that too, because I do think that was the plan. Like, I don't think Marvin was ever going to, like the plan was never to play Marvin last Sunday against the Rams. I saw him after the game dab me up, told me he's doing good. He's ready to rock and roll. So we'll see if that's the case here this week here as the Broncos get ready to take on the San Francisco 40-9ers in a tough non-conference. It's thankfully a non-conference, but the Broncos want to come out of this one, three-in-one. When we talk about that first gauntlet of six games, to be able to be three-and-one after the fact,

Starting point is 00:31:01 that would be huge here for this team. We'll see if the Broncos can do just that. We'll catch you tomorrow. Sarah sits down with Lockdown 49ers for a crossover Thursday episode of the show. And then Friday, you're going to get our final game preview. You're going to get our players and matchups to watch and so much more. Stay locked in over here at Lockdown Broncos.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - CHALLENGE: Denver Broncos Will Face NFL's MOST EXPLOSIVE Offense vs. 49ers

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