49ers No Match for Manning on Historic Night

When the 2014-15 NFL Schedule came out in the offseason, many fans including myself had Week 7's Sunday Night Football match-up between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos circled on their calendar. Expecting to see a back and forth melee between interconference heavyweights, the game would turn out to be anything but. As if being 3 touchdowns shy of becoming the NFL's all-time passing touchdowns leader wasn't enough motivation for Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, he was given the task of facing a depleted 49er defense that's without a number of its key cogs. Despite San Francisco's defense entering the meeting 2nd in the league in yards allowed per game, they were no match for Manning on this historic evening.

By halftime, Manning had already eclipsed Brett Favre's all-time record of 508 passing touchdowns with three TD's in the first half alone which resulted in a number of congratulations on the video board from some of the game's greats including one from Favre himself. The 49ers had a chance to make a game out of it early on, but a number of key drops including one by Anquan Boldin on a would be touchdown reception would cause his team to have to settle for a field goal. The lone highlight for Colin Kaepernick and co. would come in the final minute of the first half as the 49ers QB sent his team into the locker room on a high note by connecting in the end zone with receiver Stevie Johnson who has become one of Kaepernick's favorite targets as of late inside the red zone. The touchdown would help pull his team within a 21-10 deficit and would be the only one on the day for Kaepernick. San Francisco's run game would also be ineffective as the tag-team of Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde combined for just 35 yards on 12 carries. As for Denver, running back Ronnie Hillman carried the ball 14 times for 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns on what would be a forgetful night defensively for the 49ers. 

In what would be just another day at the office for Peyton Manning who finished with 318 yards and 4 touchdowns, 8 of his 22 completed passes would be caught by Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas who racked up 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kaepernick didn't necessarily have a horrible game by any means, throwing for 263 yards and a touchdown, but an interception on an overthrow and several easy dropped passes would spell doom for the Niners QB who was sacked six times and sat out for much of the fourth quarter as did Manning. The game also marked the first time the 49ers had attempted 40+ passes since 2010 and was the first time under coach Harbaugh, ending a 67 game streak. With 49ers backup QB Blaine Gabbert taking over in the fourth quarter, the former first round pick taken 10th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, threw his first touchdown pass in a 49er uniform by connecting 20-yards out with rookie receiver Bruce Ellington who tallied his first career touchdown. Unfortunately by the, the game would be well out of reach as the 49ers fell to the Broncos, 42-17.

Following the loss, the 49ers dropped to 4-3 on the year while Denver improved to 5-1. With a BYE week in Week 8, the time off comes at a perfect time for a number of ailing 49ers including their leader on defense in Pro-Bowl linebacker Patrick Willis who sat out of Sunday night's game with a toe injury. One player they won't be getting back this season, however, is Daniel Kilgore who was carted off the field with a fractured left leg and will see his season come to an end. Another is cornerback Chris Cook who suffered a hamstring injury, further thinning out San Francisco's secondary. 

Week 9 Preview: Returning home in Week 9 following their BYE, the 49ers will host a division opponent for the first time this season inside their new home -- Levi's Stadium, as they welcome the (2-5) St. Louis Rams. Having beaten the Rams on Monday Night Football just several weeks ago, San Francisco will be on high alert on Sunday when it comes to St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher's trickery as the Rams pulled a number of tricks from out of their hat just two weeks ago in a win at home over the division-rival Seattle Seahawks. Needing to get back in the groove of things, the meeting should give the 49ers a chance to bounce back in the win column as they look to gain ground on the division-leading Arizona Cardinals (6-1). With both Frank Gore and Anquan Boldin feasting on the Rams throughout their careers, expecting one if not both, to have a big afternoon. 


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