DENVER - The Denver Broncos host the San Francisco 49ers in their preseason home opener at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on Monday night.
The two teams held joint practices on Friday and Saturday at the team's Training Center in Englewood.
First Quarter -
The Broncos started the game with a strong defense effort as a Bradley Chubb quarterback hurry of Jimmy Garoppolo led to an interception by Isaac Yiadom.
Widely considered the backbone of the 2019 team, the unit started the game with a turnover followed by forcing three straight punts against San Francisco's top offense.
Offensively, quarterback Joe Flacco and the first unit put points on the board during their opening drive.
Making his first appearance of the preseason, receiver Emmanuel Sanders, fully recovered from ankle and Achilles surgery, compiled a catch (5-yards) and a run (19-yards) on the 8-play, 34-yard drive that led to a Brandon McManus 31-yard field goal.
Following his single-drive performance at Seattle, Flacco went 7/11 for 59 yards in his three drives against the 49ers before calling it an evening.
After one quarter of play, the Broncos lead the 49ers, 3-0.
Second Quarter -
With Joe Flacco done for the evening, rookie quarterback Drew Lock taking over and leading the second string offense on a 13-play, 57-yard drive capped by a 33-yard Brandon McManus field goal. Denver leading 6-0 at this point.
The 49ers finally getting on the scoreboard with 2:58 remaining in the first half as Robbie Gould hits a 42-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 6-3.
On the final drive before halftime, Lock again looking the part as the team's backup quarterback as he orchestrated an 11-play, 41-yard drive with McManus drilling a 52-yard field goal.
Lock was 7/11 for 40 passing yards and 11 rushing yards during his time with the second unit before the break.
At the half, the Broncos lead the 49ers, 9-3.
Third Quarter - Drew Lock came out for the first drive of the second half, however, he has suffered an apparent hand injury and his return for the rest of the game is questionable.
Head Coach Vic Fangio calling the rookie's injury, along with fellow tight end Noah Fant's to be of the "mild variety."
With both team's backup units in, the 49ers have taken advantage with back-to-back touchdown drives.
Running back Raheem Mostert giving San Francisco a 10-9 lead after a 30-yard touchdown run. Jeff Wilson Jr. followed with a 1-yard touchdown run on the very next drive to extend the 49ers lead to 17-9.
Offensively, the Broncos have struggled in the third quarter, punting on all three of their possessions. Heading into the final quarter, the score remains 17-9.
Fourth Quarter - The game stayed there until late in the fourth quarter when 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens hit Kendrick Bourne for a 1-yard touchdown pass to put the game out of reach.
Trailing 24-9, the Broncos finally got into the endzone with under three minutes to play as quarterback Kevin Hogan used his wheels for a 24-yard touchdown run.
The Broncos fall to the 49ers, 24-15 and are now 1-2 in the preseason. Denver travels to Los Angeles to take on the Rams Saturday night at 7 p.m.
