Russell Wilson struggles, but one clutch drive leads Broncos past 49ers

It took a long time, but the Denver Broncos can finally be happy with their Russell Wilson trade.

Not great, but at least better than they felt when they didn’t have a late surge that led to a win.

The Broncos had five points in the fourth quarter and started the season 1-2 when Wilson played his best drive in Denver. It happened in his 12th quarter in Denver, which was longer than Broncos fans had hoped, but at least it happened.

Wilson did some play with his legs, had a couple of nice pitches, and Melvin Gordon scored with 4:10 left to put the Broncos ahead. After that, the 49ers came over twice, ending a bad night in an ugly 11-10 victory for the Broncos, driven by defense and a decent offense.

The Broncos’ offense has a lot of issues to work out. Those are fair questions about head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s calling and whether Wilson’s talent is fading at 33. It was mostly a bad night. Imagine if it didn’t end in victory.

Russell Wilson had a rough night

Before that game in the fourth quarter, the Broncos had a bad offense. Denver works hard for every yard. Wilson hasn’t really struggled for long since coming to the NFL, but he got off to a poor start in the fourth quarter of Game 3. Denver had nine 3-point outings, which is unforgivable even if the 49ers’ defense was excellent.

Summarizing the Broncos’ offensive struggles and Wilson’s struggles came after Jimmy Garoppolo pulled out of the end zone for safety. The Broncos trailed 7-5.

The Broncos are conservative when it comes to possession. All but one long pass resulted in a free throw, all of which were short passes or runs. The Broncos got to the 49ers’ 41-yard line with two runs before Wilson missed the open Jerry Judy badly on the third down. Brandon McManus missed a field goal, compounding the Broncos’ woes.

This is the score. At that moment, the Broncos didn’t seem to trust Wilson. If that’s the case, Jeudy’s shocking miss doesn’t help either.

In the fourth quarter, the Broncos faced a fourth inch in their own territory. Instead of giving his $245 million QB a chance to complete a short pass, or even sneak a foot forward, Hackett decided to bet.

Then Wilson came to life. He plays with his legs. He scrambled to find Kendall Hinton’s frontcourt 27 yards in the third. On another drop, he found a lane and ran 12 yards for the first drop. These are glimpses of Wilson becoming a star for the Seattle Seahawks. A great back-and-shoulder pass to Courtland Sutton set up the Broncos at the 5-yard line, and Gordon later scored two goals.

For all the issues the Broncos had on offense, they took the lead with just over four minutes left. Garoppolo will have more opportunities to answer.

Russell Wilson and the Broncos struggled offensively for most of the win over the 49ers.  (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post)

Russell Wilson and the Broncos struggled offensively for most of the win over the 49ers. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/Denver Post)

Jimmy Garoppolo has a chance to win

Garoppolo has a chance to command a big drive. His safety, when he fell from the back of the end zone, was the difference between the Broncos taking an 11-10 lead.

Garoppolo made a big 3 and a 3-pointer against Jauan Jennings and nearly got eliminated. Instead, it was the first drop. Then Garoppolo throws an interception. He threw traffic at Deebo Samuel, which popped into the air and was taken down by linebacker Jonas Griffith with 2:06 left. Garoppolo’s decision was bad.

Garoppolo made his second shot after another Broncos 3-pointer. The Broncos ran and kicked the ball instead of letting Wilson try to grab the first at the three and nine with a two-minute warning. The 49ers took over their own 15-yard line with 1:42 left. After a sack, running back Jeff Wilson was run from behind after receiving the ball, and the Broncos recovered the turnover and sealed the win.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan believed the Broncos were offside before a game that ended in Wilson’s error, but officials disagreed.

Both teams looked good on Sunday night. Garoppolo’s safety ended up being an important factor. Two 49ers turnovers late in the game summed up the two offenses. At least the Broncos left as winners.

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