Five Key Matchups: Broncos at 49ers

The reigning AFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Ground Player of the Week, Phillip Lindsay continues to impress as one of the top running backs in the NFL. His 157 rushing yards against the Bengals were a career high, and it was the fourth time in the last five weeks he’s gone over 100 total yards.

“If they block a hole for him and there’s a lane, or somebody gets out of that gap, he’s going to get through there faster than anyone,” Shanahan said. “Then when he does get to the one guy he’s got to make miss, he doesn’t slow down to do it. Pursuit doesn’t get to him, which allows him to get some big plays, too.”

On Sunday, Lindsay will hope to outrun 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner, whose 92 tackles lead the team by a wide margin. Warner has been a key part of the San Francisco run defense, which is tied for 11th in yards per carry allowed. A matchup between these two exciting, productive rookies will be one to watch Sunday.

One of the keys to the Broncos’ three-game winning streak has been their turnover differential. The Broncos are plus-eight over the last three games, and Case Keenum is a big part of that; He hasn’t thrown an interception.

Richard Sherman will hope to end Keenum’s streak as well as his own drought; He has yet to record an interception this season. Sherman is one of the league’s most physical and aggressive cornerbacks, and he’ll challenge whichever Broncos wide receiver lines up across from him. 

The key for Keenum is to continue to balance smart, timely throws with some more aggressive tosses downfield. He’s done both successfully over the past few weeks, and he’s tied for sixth in the NFL in completions of at least 20 yards. But going forward, he’ll have to do that without leading wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who injured his Achilles in practice Wednesday.

“He’s done a super job of balancing that, and that’s a fine line,” Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave said last week. “There’s going to be other turnovers coming. We don’t want to be unrealistic think that it’s going to last forever. We want him to throw the ball with anticipation. Take a chance here and there. You’ve got to take some changes against these NFL defenses to fit balls into small windows. So, we really appreciated what he’s done recently. We just want to keep building on it.”

The Broncos have done plenty of shuffling and reshuffling along the offensive line this season, and in the wake of Max Garcia’s season-ending ACL injury ahead of Week 10, Billy Turner, a natural tackle, moved to left guard.

In the three games since, the Broncos have averaged 150 rushing yards per game, and Case Keenum has been sacked just four times. But most importantly, those three games have all been Broncos victories.

Turner will face one of his toughest tasks as a guard, though, when he goes up against DeForest Buckner, who has a team-best 9.0 sacks. Buckner is one of the league’s most disruptive interior defensive linemen, and he has at least a half-sack in four straight games.

“He plays his technique very well by playing his gaps and not getting out of them, but he also doesn’t play it like a robot,” Shanahan said. “He still makes plays. For a three-technique to be one of the top tacklers on our team, also leading us in sacks, that’s tough. … He makes a lot of plays in the run game and the pass game which makes him, to me, one of the better three-technique [defensive linemen] in the league.”

Despite several injuries around him, Todd Davis has played at a high level throughout this year, and the sixth-year linebacker is on track for his first 100-tackle season. He’s been a big part of a resurgent Broncos run defense, but it’s his strides in the passing game that have impressed Head Coach Vance Joseph.

“Todd is a pro’s pro,” Joseph said Monday. “He’s our MIKE [linebacker], and he’s our leader. He practices and plays the same way every day. He’s always full-speed, and he’s a great tackler. He’s getting so much better with his coverage stuff. That’s been impressive to me, to watch him work on his coverage and get better at it during the game.”

He should have the chance to show that improvement against 49ers tight end George Kittle. The second-year pro has had a breakout sophomore campaign, and he leads San Francisco in catches (62), targets (93) and yards (893) by a wide margin. Only Zach Ertz and Travis Kelce have seen more targets at the tight end position, and Kittle has been very consistent with at least four receptions in all but one game.

“What makes him so easy to use in so many ways is that he’s a good run-blocker,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “There’s a threat no matter where he is on the field. He can do anything. If you don’t honor him as a run-blocker and you just treat him as a pass guy, we can get after you in the run game. As you soon as you respect him there, he gets very good matchups in the pass game.”

If Davis can limit Kittle, that will be a major step in the right direction against the San Francisco offense.

The 49ers will welcome the speedy Marquise Goodwin back to their lineup Sunday after he missed the team’s last two games for personal reasons. Goodwin has just 17 receptions this year, but he has made them count, averaging 19.9 yards per catch and scoring four times, tied for the team lead.

Goodwin will provide a tough test for the Broncos cornerbacks, a group that is now led by Bradley Roby in the wake of Chris Harris Jr.’s lower-leg injury. Roby has been steady at the spot opposite Harris during the winning streak, and he’ll have to continue his high level of play as the team’s top corner. 

“I look forward to it,” Roby said Wednesday. “It’s a beautiful opportunity for me as I’m getting older in this league. It’s a good chance to show my leadership and show what I can do.”