Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - X-FACTOR: Denver Broncos Must UNLEASH Jaylen Waddle vs. San Francisco 49ers

Starting point is 00:00:00 Against the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's game, Jalen Wattle will be the biggest X factor for the Broncos offense. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Happy Friday Broncos country, Cody Roar, Sarah Bedinger. Today we're going to tell you why Jalen Waddle is going to be the biggest X factor for the Broncos offense in Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers. And then we'll shift gears to tell you why Zach Allen, Nick Benito, These guys are going to be crucial at getting pressure on Brock Purdy to disrupt his flow in the success that he's had early on this season. Then we'll wrap things up with our keys to victory and tell you why the run game for the Broncos this week.

Starting point is 00:00:45 I know we say it every week, but this is the week, folks. It is a major key to victory here for this Broncos team. You'll get on today's show brought to you of our friends over there. Fandu make this your most rewarding season ever with Fandu Awards Club. Every week, check the Fandu app to see what's waiting for you. Sarah, let's get into our offensive players to watch here, our X factors as we get into our final game preview here for Sunday's matchup between the Broncos and the 49ers, Santa Clara, a lot of history, a lot of special places here for Denver specifically in Santa Clara at that

Starting point is 00:01:15 specific stadium. But they are going to face a very tough test, as we've talked about the gauntlet, the Goliath mentality that the Broncos are seemingly going against so far to open up the season. It starts with San Francisco. But the more I watch film on the 49ers this week, I couldn't help but think to myself, this is why he went out and you got a guy like Jalen Wado. I think in a game like this specifically, Jaylon's going to be a big X factor for Bo Nix.

Starting point is 00:01:38 He absolutely is, Cody, and we've talked about this throughout the course of this season, that it's so important the Broncos don't leave any game where Jalen Waddle isn't being targeted at least eight times. And we saw against Jacksonville just how effective this offense can be, both in terms of the run and the pass, when go figure Jalen Waddle is getting fed the ball. Yes, there's an element to this to where you can argue,

Starting point is 00:02:02 well, should you really force feed anybody the football? Doesn't that telegraph what you're doing? I think in the case of Jalen Waddle, Cody, it does, it's worth the Broncos at least trying, right? Because you did trade a King's ransom of picks to get this guy. First and third round picks, that's a big deal. That shows that you believe this guy can be the missing piece to your offense, to your championship aspirations.

Starting point is 00:02:26 So why not give him the rock, right? And obviously a San Francisco defense that doesn't rush the past. pass her overly well at this point. Now, that doesn't mean they can't get to Bonnix. That doesn't mean they can't do anything. I don't want it to be taken any sort of way that we're like talking smack about the 49ers pass rush. It's just not their strength.

Starting point is 00:02:44 So you exploit that strength by getting the ball into the hands of a playmaker like Jalen Waddle. I saw, I was wondering about this, Cody, and I looked at Twitter. And of course, some some great folks in Broncos country already on it. The last time the Broncos played a defense that's coordinated by Rahim Morris was in Atlanta or against Atlanta in 2024. And that was one of the best passing performances Bo Nix has ever had. Now, I'm not saying it's going to be the exact same case.

Starting point is 00:03:14 But what I am saying is that you have an opportunity, I think, to affect all three levels of the field in this game. And Jalen Waddle is going to be key to all of it. I think that was a four touchdown performance game there from Nix as well. I think he finished as well, 28 of 33 passing. If you want to check and confirm now, I remember that game. I think everybody does. And Raheem Morris is obviously a great defensive coordinator.

Starting point is 00:03:35 I think, you know, personnel linebacker for San Francisco is probably a lot better than what the Atlanta Falcons had, obviously, in that specific game. Though, I will say at the safety position, they did have Jesse Bates and they did have Justin Simmons, former Bronco safety on the back end there, A.J. Torella corner. So once again, I think so much of that, too, is, and I've seen that through the first three weeks of the season where San Francisco's pass rush without Bosa, right? And even with Bosa, Bosa was still trying to get his feet underneath him coming off the major injury that he, had, but it just didn't have the juice that we've been accustomed to seeing from San Francisco. And once again, it's early. And that could change at any given day, folks, where we have talked about here specifically, the Broncos offensive line at crucial times early on in games, have given up a lot of pressure inside, also on the outside. And it's been a specific target

Starting point is 00:04:21 amongst three different players on the O line. Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg and Mike McGlinchie. Those guys are going to have to obviously button things up a little bit because Garrett Bowles and Quinn Miners have been very consistent and have it really allowed the pressures the way that those guys certainly have. So that's going to be a key, I think, for Bo Nick staying on schedule. And that's going to also be something here for this offense, right? Like if Jaylon Waddle is going to be the X factor, I think he can thrive against San Francisco's zone defense because they play a lot of zone. They'll play a lot of match concepts. And Bo Nick said it in his press conference earlier this week, until we start seeing some man looks, teams are just going to sit in that too high shell and

Starting point is 00:04:54 they're going to play that zone. And they're going to just sit and rally and try to put us in some longfield situations which makes things easier to him. He even alluded to it himself that the Broncos have to find a way to run the ball to take the pressure off of the offense. I mean, he was very candid about that. John Payton, very candid about that as well this week. Jalen is the key, I think that is going to open it up. And even though it's been three weeks of the season going into week four,

Starting point is 00:05:16 you are still starting to see like Jalen is still trying to get comfortable, right? Jalen is still trying to figure everything out within his offense. We just so happen to see him explode in week two. Now, can there be a week four explosion here against San Francisco. That's going to be one of those biggest keys. If you had to pinpoint one other player on the offensive side of the ball, you feel like it's going to be an X factor in this game, Sarah.

Starting point is 00:05:34 Where are you leaning right now? I think RJ Harvey for me, Cody. Obviously, we saw him get a really nice expanded role in week three. His return from injury as well. He was not playing against Jacksonville. But I like what RJ Harvey Harvey brings to the table in terms of his explosiveness. I just feel like, man, every time you see him get a target in the passing game,

Starting point is 00:05:54 doesn't it just feel like he's got some of the best and most natural hands? on the team. He's a weapon in the passing game. He's so explosive after the catch. He's crafty in space. I think a guy like that, you could kind of hope at least to give the 49ers a little taste of their own medicine, right? With RJ Harvey being that sort of dynamic weapon out of the backfield. And that's what we know that Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers like to do with one of the best to ever do it, Christian McCaffrey. I'm not saying RJ Harvey is Christian McCaffrey, but maybe take a couple of pages out of their book with what they do with CMC and give RJ Harvey those opportunities to be that guy because right now the Broncos are missing that from the running

Starting point is 00:06:35 back position, that explosiveness. That's really been a difficult, tough sledding. So we'll talk about the run game more later. I also do want to clarify that you were dead on, spot on, Cody, with your statistical estimation from Bo Nix's game against Atlanta back in 2024, 28 of 33 passing, which is 84.8%. That was also his first career. rear 300 yard passing game. His pastor rating for the game was 145.0, which is insane. But here's the kicker. This is, and this goes contrary to what a lot of people feel about Bo Nix and

Starting point is 00:07:07 speaks to this discussion about getting Jalen Waddle and his explosive abilities involved. Bo Nix's average air yards per attempt in that game was 11.7. So that was one of the highest that he had in his rookie year, other than I think it was the last game of the season against the Kansas. the city chief. So it goes contrary to what people think. Bo Nix can't throw the ball deep. Bo Nix can't push the ball down the field. That's not true. Teams take that stuff away. They try to force the Broncos to do other stuff offensively. So don't get it twisted. The Broncos can be one of the most explosive passing attacks in the NFL. Defenses adjust

Starting point is 00:07:45 for that. And you have to make adjustments offensively to get that back into your mix. So that's one of the things that we need to see early on in this game and why I think RJ can be critical. You get the ball to somebody like RJ Harvey quickly and start breaking off chunks in the passing game. Then now you could start pushing the ball deep down the field to guys like Jalen Waddle opens things up. It gives him opportunities one-on-one. It gets those safeties. That's why they have the safeties deep, right, Cody? You know this. You're a defense back. That's why they have the safeties deep. They're saying, ain't no way Jalen Waddle is beating us 80 yards down the field in this game. That's what defenses are saying to the Broncos. You,

Starting point is 00:08:25 want to throw the ball to Jalen Waddle, guess what? We're going to have two guys down there. That's exactly what happened against the Rams, isn't it? Boen-Nex tries to throw it deep. So that's why defenses are trying to do that. They're saying, no, Jalen Waddle, deep downfield, no. So the Broncos have to get one of those safeties up into the box. And then, now you could start throwing the ball downfield to Mr. No. 17. Yes. And the biggest key to that is getting the run game going, because if you start gashing guys in the run game, guys have to cheat up, the linebackers cheat up, the safety's cheat up a little bit. And then guess what? It's the perfect utopia. That's how you attack.

Starting point is 00:08:57 We have yet to see that here for this Broncos team. And, man, Sunday's game against the 49ers would be a great place to start. Coming up next, though, Sarah and I are going to tell you why Nick Benito and Zach Allen are going to be the Broncos defense's biggest key this week. If they're going to go to San Francisco and beat Brock Purdy and the 49ers. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by our friends over there at Indeed, sponsored jobs. When workplace chaos hits and you need the right higher, Indeed, sponsored jobs helps connect employers with candidates who at specific needs like skills, certifications, and location. So less time gets spent searching and more time gets spent finding the right fit. People are finding quality hires on Indeed right now.

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Starting point is 00:11:24 The Broncos need big games from Nick Benito and Zach Allen to get after Brock Purdy. Nobody else is doing that this season. Broncos country, maybe this will be the first time we see it happen all season. Maybe the Broncos will be able to finally get some pressure on Brock Purdy. And that is going to be essential. You know, I find it funny, Cody. Any time we preview a game, you get to the end of the week, we talked about all the matchups. We talked about all the players, the keys.

Starting point is 00:11:49 It always comes back to at some point or another. One of the top two or three things we talk about is make life miserable for the opposing quarterback, right? Yes. That is the Broncos MO. That is their identity defensively. Make life tough for the opposing quarterback. Well, guess what? They're now facing against a quarterback this week in Brock Purdy, who has been sacked a total of zero times this season.

Starting point is 00:12:13 I mean, that's crazy. For any even a three-game stretch within. a season for any two-game stretch in a season to not be sacked. It's impressive. But for three games to open a season when they open with the Rams. I mean, let's just let's talk about why Nick Bonito and Zach Allen need to put on their capes and and be the superheroes that this Denver Broncos defense needs to beat the 49ers and to get after Brock Purdy. Well, I think it's all about starting fast, right? I mean, you want to get Brock Purdy in this 49ers offense. You want to get those guys out of rhythm because if you don't and they're just constantly gashing you for four yards,

Starting point is 00:12:51 five yard. And then they're going through and they're hit you with play action. Like that can add up, right? You got to figure out it's almost like being in the operating room. You're like, got to stop the bleeding. Where's the bleed coming from? Right. It's one of those situations, which I think Denver suited to do that. But here's what I wouldn't say worries me about Brock Purdy, but I'm saying this is something that if you don't account for this in the scouting report, it is going to define the outcome of this game and it's going to hurt you specifically. Like obviously, you have to get pressure on Brock Purdy. But you have to be careful with how you rush a guy like Purdy as well.

Starting point is 00:13:20 I'm not saying he's got wheels like Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen, but Brock Purdy can run the football. He certainly has so far this season in three games that we've seen him played. He's had an 18-yard run in week one against the Rams. He had an 18-yard run against the Miami Dolphins. And last week against Arizona, he had a 34, 35-yard scramble after the Cardinals allocated their coverage to man, and nobody had their rush lane.

Starting point is 00:13:45 had no integrity there. He took it and run. And what I'm looking at here specifically is like what maybe Drake May and the Patriots looked at against Denver in the AFC championship game where Sean Payton even said himself like, if we don't account for his legs, he can hurt us. And what did Drake may end up doing in that game? He hurt the Broncos with his legs. Brock Purdy can do the same exact thing here. But I'll say this, the 49ers. I mean, that's kind of like the last resort thing, right? It's not going to be their first option because they got guys like Kittle, use check. They've got Debo. They've got Christian McCaffrey.

Starting point is 00:14:15 They've got Mike Evans. I mean, they have playmakers galore that they focus on getting the football too primarily before it ever goes to Brock Purdy using his legs. So not only is that pressure saying, hey, we want to hit and we want to get sacks on Brock Purdy because we want to back the 49ers up. I think the number one key in this game is winning first down. That's going to be the most important key for the defense and for guys like Benito and Zach Allen. If you can get after Brock Purdy, let's say, you know, because they like they throw primarily a lot on the first play of the game or their first. first down where depends on where they're at. If you disrupt them, you get them behind the sticks.

Starting point is 00:14:50 It makes it a little easier for you on the defensive sideball. We've talked about that with Bo Nix. However, the 49ers as explosive as they have been, averaging 7.35 yards per play, which is the best right now in the NFL. You want to make sure that you're winning those early downs because if you don't, it goes into what Vance Joseph said in the preseason saying, you know what? If we give up, if we lose first down, teams are having second and manageable. Then that makes it more difficult for guys like Nick Benito,

Starting point is 00:15:12 Zach Allen to truly get after the quarterback and for that rush that we know was the strength of this Broncos team to get home. Yeah, and it's not just about getting there quickly and getting him down immediately. With a guy like Brock Purdy and you mentioned, his legs are a factor. And we talked about this on the crossover show yesterday. I feel like this is the best that we've seen from Brock Purdy when it comes to escaping pressure and making throws on the run. He had an absolutely insane throw. I think it was against the dolphins or I can't remember if it was the dolphins or the Cardinals, but he was running towards the sideline.

Starting point is 00:15:47 And he basically like jumps off of one foot and throws the ball back in bounds as he's kind of flying out of bounds and hits a receiver downfield. So like, I mean, Brock Purdy is, I believe this is more of an NBA thing, Cody. But I believe what they say is that Brock Purdy is in his bag when it comes to his, you know, his bag moves. He's got the bag moves out. He's playing really well when it comes to avoiding pressure. not just the offensive line protecting him from getting sacked. He's not a statue back there. So it's going to be dependent upon the Benito's and the Allen's to get the initial pressure

Starting point is 00:16:21 and to get home when they can, but also the secondary pressure. There's been no more disappointing defensive player outside of Alex Singleton this year than Jonah Ellis. I think Jonah Ellis, he was getting absolutely worked by tight ends in that game against the Rams, Cody. I hope he's a little ticked off going into this game. I hope Jonah Ellis gets on track in this game. He has no sacks this season.

Starting point is 00:16:45 He has no quarterback hits this season. It's pathetic. And we talked a big game about Jonah Ellis this last season. He's making us look bad. He's making me look bad. Jonah Ellis, stop making me look bad, man. Go out there and play well. You got everybody wishing that Jonathan Cooper was back in the lineup,

Starting point is 00:17:02 which I get it. Like Jonathan Cooper's a good player. But what we had thought and what we were led to maybe assume is like, hey, no problem. Jonah Ellis, he's in line for a breakout season, man. He's going to be really good this year. No, no, no, no. The first three games could not have gone worse for Jonah Ellis.

Starting point is 00:17:20 And so when you get to the, I don't mean to make this about just being just, I mean, hammering Jonah Ellis, but the secondary rush has got to be there for the Broncos. Jonah Ellis, can you come get off a block and go get Brock Purdy? Can you chase him down? Q Robinson, the linebackers, the D.Bs.

Starting point is 00:17:37 It's going to be a lot about, hey, if he starts escaping, the pocket, don't be, don't be given up a third in 10, a third and 11 because Brock Purdy was able to just escape the initial pressure. And now all of a sudden, there's nobody around to go get it. Arguably, that's one of the things I'm probably a little more concerned about happening. Because I think the Denver's got the guys who can cover well, right? And when you have great coverage and let's say, you know, you play man on a third down and guys don't rush upfield or they keep their contained, that's exactly what can happen. That's the one thing I feel like worries

Starting point is 00:18:08 me. And if that happens once or twice, it's going to be hard for the Broncos, I think, to get off the field in some of those situations. So I agree with you. And here's also another blow. Dondrey Tillman dealing with a hamstring injury may not play in this game. We don't know the official thing yet. The final injury report will come out here today. But then that means that if he's not able to go, okay, well, now it's like Q Robinson is your main guy. And now you have to bring up Johnny Walker Jr. or another outside linebacker, a position that we thought really going into it. We're like, man, the depth of this room was so good, like on paper. Like, okay, hey, Jonathan Cooper is going to be out. No problem. You know, you got Jonah Ellis, Q Robinson, Dondry Tillman.

Starting point is 00:18:43 Well, now all of a sudden that depth where it's like, ah, it's a little uncertain right now outside of Nick Benito. And I would say Q Robinson. Those might be the two guys. We might even see Q Robinson eventually take over and start. And maybe Jonah can thrive back in that rotational role where he was at last year. I don't know what the solution is, but maybe something to keep an eye on here for the Broncos on Sunday against the San Francisco 40-N-Rs. They cannot let Brock Purdy use his legs to keep drives alive because that could hurt you

Starting point is 00:19:10 and that might be the thing that drives the Nail to the Broncos if they find themselves down against San Fran. But coming up next, we're going to get into our keys to victory, we're going to tell you why this week, out of every week that we've talked about, why this week the Broncos run game is key if they want to win on Sunday. Today's episode, the show was brought to you by friends over there at the game time at the NFL is full of games that you plan for all year. But sometimes the best memories come from the games you almost,

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Starting point is 00:22:00 best Broncos podcast in the entire stratosphere of whatever podcast is out there. Nobody does it like we do it. And that's all thanks to all you. We appreciate you so much here. Sarah, let's get into our keys to victory. You know, look, I think this is always a fun exercise, right? Because it does involve some cliches. It does involve some things that are like, yeah, well, duh, if they don't do that, well, they're probably not going to win. But it's more so of the, okay, this is the what and this is the how. The Broncos must run the ball effectively this week against the San Francisco 49ers. And how they do that, it's a sheer commitment to it.

Starting point is 00:22:32 It might be more Alex Paucheschi reporting eligible, and the Broncos just pounding the ball downhill, which they did a little bit more of in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams, where they actually got a little bit of momentum here. To me, that's going to be the key. But I also think it all starts with J.K. Dobbins, who has not looked like the explosive version of himself

Starting point is 00:22:50 that we saw last year. And it almost seems like he's on a snap count at this point. Maybe he's trying to overcome something. I mean, that's not the vibe that we're getting when we see him, and Sean Peyton even said it earlier this week. I'm looking forward to seeing him get back to who he was because that's a big reason why we resigned him. So there needs to be a sheer commitment, I think, to getting him the football and trying to get the run game going. They must do that.

Starting point is 00:23:14 And I think the heavy personnel might be the way to do just that. Interesting that you bring him up, Cody, because I was going to say, J.K. Dobbins ranks 26th in the NFL right now with 67 yards after contact. that is horrendous through three games. I mean, and honestly, it's made even worse by the fact that Kenneth Walker is number one in the NFL in that category, in the yards after contact category. Now, I'm not saying that J.K. Dobbins has to go out there and be what Kenneth Walker has been for the chiefs so far. But what I am saying is that the Broncos decided to go after Dobbins instead of making a heavy all-in pursuit of Kenneth Walker or even Travis A. Chan, who's with the Saints. And I know he wanted to play in his hometown, blah, blah, blah.

Starting point is 00:23:59 I know there's circumstances and those things. But ultimately, the Broncos did choose J.K. Dobbins over everybody else, right? So you've got to make sure that he's able to go out there and thrive. And for J.K., you're right, we haven't seen that explosiveness from him. He's averaging 3.5 yards per carry this season. Remember, at the time of his injury last year, he was averaging five yards of carry. He was also tied for, I think, fourth in terms of explosive runs of 10 plus yards. among all running backs in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:24:29 He was top five in total rushing yards. He was top five in rushing yards per game. Everything about J.K. Dobbins in the first 10 games of last season has that script has flipped here at the beginning of 2026. And you're right. I don't know what it is. Is it the fact that he's dealing with something? Is it just that he's kind of got in his head about potentially getting something?

Starting point is 00:24:51 Is he like afraid to get injured? I don't know what it is, but I don't like it. I want to see him start running with confidence again. When he was breaking tackles last year, when he was creating yards after contact, that was when the Broncos offense was able to thrive in those early season games. And we've referenced this game many times. This has kind of been our true North Star as we've been waiting for the offensive breakout is that Dallas Cowboys game. Well, what was happening in that game?

Starting point is 00:25:19 I mean, they were running all over the Cowboys. I know that's the worst defense in the league last year, arguably, but they were running all over those guys. and they were committed to doing so. So I want to see J.K. become that explosive threat once again. You can't be 26th and yards after contact when really yards after contact is exactly what makes your game so special. So he's got to get back to being J.K. Daven's this week.

Starting point is 00:25:41 And the Broncos got to figure out the rotation at running back, right? And I know J.K. is still on the injury report. He's been a full participant all week in practice. He has the hip designation at this point. But the thing that stands out to me is that the rotation at running back isn't quite clear, right? because you're rotating guys every play. You and I've talked about it this week, hard to get guys going. We know there's been some inconsistencies in the offensive line in terms of how

Starting point is 00:26:02 they're blocking certain things, certainly how they're protecting. But I also think the Broncos have some tendencies, especially some concerning ones that when I look at it, and this was pointed out by Ryan Paganetti, I hope I pronounce his name the right way, but great follow on social media. He's a former director of analytics for the Eagles, Jaguars, Raiders, very, very smart, post some really interesting nuggets out there. But there's a tendency here for the Broncos, I think, makes you. it easier for the defense that when Devers on offense, it's just they're going backwards and it's

Starting point is 00:26:31 because of this. After a first and 10 run gains three yards or fewer, how often does each offense pass on second down? Well, through three weeks of play here, the Broncos, they pass 100% of the time after a first and 10 run gets three yards or fewer. They're throwing the football on second down, which allows the defense say, we know they're throwing, we're playing the sticks, and that makes their second down and third down, I'd say menu that they have, shrink a little bit. So that's a tendency they're going to have to break. But the number one thing about that is run the ball.

Starting point is 00:27:02 I mean, last week, the very first play that Denver had the ball offensively, they come out and they try to run it with JK. And a corner blitz tackles JK for a two-yard loss behind the line of scrimmage. And thankfully, RJ Harvey picked up six on the next play to at least make it third and six. So Denver is not playing on schedule specifically early on in the run game. And I think teams are saying, hey, if we stop the run here on first down, it's going to play right into our hands. That's going to be a key here.

Starting point is 00:27:26 But this is a 49ers defense that has given up some big plays. They have given up the chunk plays in zone. They have given up some big runs here or there. This is going to be the formula here for the Broncos to stay alive in this game here specifically. I think it all starts and it ends with the run game. And what's interesting enough to me is Sean Peyton this week even talked about. He said, if you look at our numbers last year in the first half, we ran the ball very little compared to how often we threw it. And he even pinpointed that.

Starting point is 00:27:52 But it's like, Sean, you were the play caller last year. So what is it? Like, what's the, is it just tunnel vision at this point? J.K. is going to be a big part of it. But Sarah, I think if, if J.K. is going to get back to who he is, they got to feed him. They got to just, for a series, give him the first five or six offensive plays. And then you could bring in R.J. Harvey. Then you could bring in Tyler Badee.

Starting point is 00:28:12 But the whole JK's getting a carry on first down. Okay, he's coming off the field. Here comes R. R.J. on second down. Okay, now we got third down. RJ's coming off here. Comes Tyler Bade. I mean, it is, to me, it's mad.

Starting point is 00:28:22 Like, and I understand it's early on in the season, but this, in my opinion, makes it so easy for defenses to predict exactly what you're going to do offensively. And that makes it harder for Bow Nicks. The Broncos have not played complimentary football around Bo Nicks on a consistent basis. And that has to change, especially as you play this 49ers team here, it'll be a tough challenge here. I'm excited for it. I think the Broncos is going to respond. I have a feeling like I just, there aren't a lot of people picking Denver to win this game. I have a feeling that Denver is going to win this game. I don't know why. I hate generally. I don't like predicting games, but I have a feeling that Denver's going to come out and they're going to put together a really good performance here on the road. And if they can beat the 49ers, Sarah, that's a huge statement.

Starting point is 00:29:02 Yeah, 100%. And obviously, look, the 49ers are a great team. So just like when we were going into that Jacksonville game, and it felt like we had no reason to believe that the Broncos would win based on what we saw against Kansas City.

Starting point is 00:29:15 It's kind of just like, you know, what goes up must come down or what, you know, the opposite, the inverse of that, right? And it's like,

Starting point is 00:29:22 hey, the Broncos, they have not been able to get anything going offensively. At some point, they're going to get something going offensively. They're not going to struggle every single game all year. They're going to have good games. And so why not now? Like, just because it's the 49ers, just because they're on the road, they don't care. They're 10 and 1 against NFC teams. So there's no diminishing the 49ers here.

Starting point is 00:29:45 The 49ers are simply the opponent that is on the schedule this week. And what we're talking about is the Broncos, like, finding a way to get right. They shouldn't have beat the Jaguars based on the way they played against the Chiefs. They shouldn't have beat the Rams based on the way they played even against the Jaguars. So what we're seeing now is that they've got to find a way against a really good opponent. And that's difficult to believe can happen. But guess what? It can happen, right?

Starting point is 00:30:11 Remember last year? The Cowboys, oh, the best offense in the league, Broncos are going to struggle to out, score them. Well, how'd that end up? How did that go? So you've got to kind of use the past as a predictor for the future in some instances as well. That doesn't mean the Broncos can't lose this game. They may. We don't know.

Starting point is 00:30:28 That's the NFL. But I think I'm with you, Cody. Just a gut feeling, if nothing else, that the offense is going to at some point figure it out. And just maybe the answer is like, why not now? Yeah. Why not now here, Brockos country? Big game here on Sunday. Sarah and I, Wadby covered with the post game show.

Starting point is 00:30:46 You get the squad show as well. And in the meantime, Broncos Country, check out the, brand new Lockdown Broncos hit page as well. You got short content hosted by Cameron Parker. It's launching a little bit this week. So make sure you check that out wherever you get your podcast. And we'll see you for the postgame show.

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