Initial thoughts from the Broncos’ 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4 at Levi’s Stadium:

1. Did Mims really fumble?: Social media howled that the Broncos “got away” with a pass interference call on the Rams late last Sunday that helped Denver pull off another home comeback. Well, the football gods must have kept that receipt, because the officials in Week 4 sure made up for whatever favors were left at Empower Field in the second half. With 9:40 left in the third quarter, Broncos returner Marvin Mims was ruled to have fumbled away a 49ers punt, appearing to lose the ball as the pigskin and his forearm touched the ground.  To the naked eye, he was down by contact. On most of the TV replays, he looked down by contact.  CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said on the broadcast that he felt “Mims was down by contact,” while also noting that rules consider a wrist to be a part of the hand, and that a hand down can cause a fumble. The hosts had the ball at the Denver 28, and scored the game’s first TD nine plays later.

2. Bo Nix, checkdown artist? If you want to know why the Broncos’ No. 10 isn’t universally considered a “franchise” quarterback outside Broncos Country, and why his critics call him a checkdown artist, Sunday is a perfect example. Despite a decent stat line in San Fran against a decent, physical Niners defense (25-42 passing, 214 yards, one score, no picks), the devil for No. 10 was in the details. Of those 25 completions, 14 were to Broncos running backs. Backs and tight ends wound up being targeted 20 times on the day. The old adage is that you can only take what a defense “gives” you, but Nix repeatedly missed mid-range throws that were either more than 12 yards beyond the line of scrimmage or over the middle of the field. At one point, even CBS analyst Trent Green, a former Chiefs and Rams QB, noted how many chances Nix missed between the hashmarks.

3. PS2, Moss dinged: With 38 seconds left until halftime in a 3-3 game and the Niners driving, Broncos Country could feel their collective hearts trapped in a community’s throats. Cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the Broncos’ best player, appeared to tweak his right lower leg in a non-contact play while backpedaling on a 49ers drop back. As Brock Purdy completed a 24-yard pass to the Niners’ 42-yard line, Surtain began to hobble, and after the play, in the first of several scary moments, he collapsed to the ground. The 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was able to stand up again and put a little weight on his right leg but couldn’t walk back to the visiting locker room without two Broncos staffers helping him with every slow step. Neither PS2 (ankle) nor CB2 partner Riley Moss (rib) were out with the starting defense on the Niners’ second drive of the second half. When it rains … you get a CB combo of Kris Abrams-Draine and Jahdae Barron.

4. First-half penalties: The worst enemy for the Broncos’ offense in the first half, given the benefit of hindsight, was probably the Broncos themselves. At the break, Denver had five penalties compared to just one for the hosts. And the timing of those flags was even worse, as the laundry proved to be drive-killers. After linebacker Alex Singleton forced a turnover on downs at the Denver 34, the Broncos worked a third-and-2 at the 42 with 13 minutes to go until halftime. But a false start by left tackle Garett Bolles made that a third-and-7 at the 37; Nix was flushed out of the pocket on the ensuing play, and the Broncos had to punt. On the Broncos’ next possession, Denver faced a third-and-1 at the visitors’ 39 with 9:06 left — only for Bolles to jump again, turning a short-yardage dive into a third-and-4.

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