Defensively, the Broncos poured it on, taking the ball away four times, and sacking the quarterbacks twice. Depth standouts included safety JL Skinner (forced fumble) and cornerbacks Kris Abrams-Draine and Jaden Robinson, as well as rookie defensive lineman Sai'vion Jones, who recovered a fumble.

Jarrett Stidham threw two TD passes following a lackluster performance from Bo Nix and Denver's starters, and the Broncos beat the San Francisco 49ers 30-9 in the preseason opener Saturday night.

The stars looked the part, with Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle making plays for the Niners, and Nix making some nice throws on the move. The 49ers didn’t mess with Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the reigning NFL defensive player of the year, too much in one-on-one coverage after he shut down Ricky Pearsall early.