The San Francisco 49ers defense will have their hands full in trying to contain the Denver Broncos offense led by Bo Nix. Moreover, Denver is coming off a thrilling comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams. As a result, they are riding high on confidence.
Nix went 17-for-34 on his pass attempts, throwing for 186 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, with a passer rating of 73.9 against the Rams. The Broncos starter also threw one rushing touchdown in the Week 3 win.
Ahead of the Week 4 game at Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 4, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner spoke to the media about facing Nix and the Broncos’ offense.
“Everything, honestly,” Warner told reporters on Sept. 30 when asked what’s most challenging about facing Nix. “He’s just a playmaker. His ability to extend out of the pocket, use his legs, I think he’s faster than people think. His ability to throw the deep ball and make plays in that way. I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
“It’s just no flinch. I think that’s one of the great attributes of a quarterback: The ability to continue to play regardless of the situation. The poise that he plays with as a young player, too, I think that’s uncommon. So, it’s going to be a huge, huge challenge for us.”
49ers’ Fred Warner on Learning From Week 3 Performance
Moreover, the Niners will have to learn from Los Angeles’ mistakes in letting the Broncos back in the game, because they can pull off a comeback win. San Francisco nearly suffered the same fate when they let the Arizona Cardinals back in during their Week 3 game.
The 49ers didn’t suffer the same fate as the Rams, so it’s a lesson learned: They need to finish off a team instead of letting them hang around. Still, Warner also gave credit to Arizona for getting back into the game and not letting it become a lopsided result.
“You want to make sure that you stay consistent all the way through,” Warner added. “Of course, we would have liked to finish better in the game last week. Like I said, a lot of those fourth downs on defense.
“If we get off, even though they are fourth-and-ones, fourth-and-twos, but if we find a way to get off on those plays, I think the game would be a lot more lopsided. But kudos to them. They fought hard.”
Fred Warner on Broncos’ Comeback Ability
Meanwhile, against the Broncos, Warner knows that they can’t allow 24 second-half points as they did against the Cardinals. That would be a recipe for Denver to pull off either another comeback victory or a lopsided win.
“Denver is one of the best teams in the league at comeback victories and staying in the battle and staying in the fight, one-score games, winning those matchups,” Warner said.
“So, every week we’re trying to find an opportunity to just win one game, and it takes all three, four hours of that game. Whatever it takes. It’s just one play at a time, one quarter at a time, and let the rest handle itself.”
San Francisco’s offense will put up points led by QB Brock Purdy; they’ll just need to clamp down on defense and not give up 24 points in a half like they did last week.
49ers’ Fred Warner Gets Candid on Facing Broncos QB Bo Nix