NFL picks: Who the experts predict to win in the Broncos-49ers game - Broncos Wire
The Denver Broncos are still riding the emotional high of their massive Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, but as promised when this year's schedule was released, things are going to get even tougher.
Up next is the San Francisco 49ers, one of only five remaining unbeaten teams. The game will be a tough road test for the Broncos, and in order to get the win, the slow starts that they are becoming known for likely won't cut it against a Niners team that has looked as good as any in this young season.
It should be another tough opponent that the Broncos need to play a near-perfect game against. Let's take a look at what the experts think and who they are picking to come out victorious.
"This is one of the best games of the week," Prisco wrote for CBS. "The Broncos are coming off an impressive comeback victory over the Rams Sunday night. The 49ers have rolled to a 3-0 record behind Brock Purdy. Look for that to continue here. Purdy has a big day as the 49ers stay undefeated".
"I’d like to see the Broncos play a complete game before I predict them to go on the road and defeat the team that’s arguably been the best in football through three weeks," wrote Parr for NFL.com. "Denver is 2-1, but it’s been outscored 40-10 in the first halves of its first three games. The concerningly slow starts are not lost on head coach Sean Payton, who said this week that trying to play catch-up will “cost us bigger games.” Sunday's matchup feels like it could be one of those, featuring two squads with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. The Broncos have already proven they can come back against the league’s better teams, doing so at home versus the Jaguars and Rams in consecutive weeks, but now they’re the visitors against the undefeated 49ers, who must be feeling pretty comfy as they prepare for their third consecutive game at Levi’s Stadium, a scheduling quirk for a club that opened the season in Australia."
Fellow columnists Bobby Kownack and Brooke Cersosimo picked the 49ers to win while Gennaro Filice and Jeremy Bergman took the Broncos.
"The 49ers had a rash of injuries in Week 3 against Arizona, so keep an eye on Mike Evans (oblique) and tackle Trent Williams (shoulder)," wrote Bender for The Sporting News. "This is a showcase game for two of the league's leading tacklers in 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton. The Broncos have played a tough early-season schedule and can improve to 3-1. Denver is 2-5-1 ATS as a road underdog since last season, and San Francisco is 6-1 S/U in the same stretch."
"Bo Nix and the Broncos' offense came alive in the second half against the Rams," wrote Cluff for Arizona Republic. "They will need a complete-game effort to top Brock Purdy and the 49ers in Santa Clara, California. We have doubts."
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Brock Purdy is playing at an elite level, even with injuries once again plaguing San Francisco’s receiving corps, and Kyle Shanahan is on a coaching heater dating back to last season. It won’t come easy, but I’m expecting the Niners to be 4-0 entering Week 5 for the first time since 2023.
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