The San Francisco 49ers have been an absolute machine so far in 2026. The Niners opened their season with a dominant win over the Los Angeles Rams before running all over both the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals to earn a spot as one of just five teams in the league to sit at 3-0 on the season.
In Week 4, they will face arguably their toughest test yet as they look to retain that unbeaten record. The Denver Broncos will be out in the Bay Area for a blockbuster clash that is one of the best on the slate in Week 4 around the NFL.
Denver is currently sitting at 2-1 despite not playing its best football so far this season, and Sean Payton and company are coming off of an impressive win over the Rams of their own. In fact, both of the Broncos' wins, comeback victories over LA and the Jacksonville Jaguars, could age to be two of the best wins in the NFL all season.
All of that sets up a pivotal clash for both teams in Week 4. While the Broncos' defense rebounded from a nightmare Week 1 outing to post two strong games in a row against a pair of offenses, it's going to be much tougher to find success on that side of the ball against Kyle Shanahan and company.
The 49ers are on a generational run
The 49ers offense has always been a juggernaut since Kyle Shanahan got into town, but their pace through three games so far in 2026 is incredible even by their lofty standards. The Niners currently rank fifth in the NFL in total offense and second in scoring offense, so it's clear even on the surface that this is an elite unit.
The advanced numbers, however, show just how much of a heater this 49ers offense has been on so far to start this season. The San Francisco offense is currently averaging +0.33 EPA per play per Next Gen Stats, which is the best mark in the league by a mile. Second place is the Buffalo Bills at +0.18, so there is a chasm between the Niners and anyone else in football.
That starts with the 49ers passing game and Brock Purdy, who is probably the NFL MVP through three weeks. So far this year, Purdy is completing 72.3% of his passes with nine touchdowns and just one interception while not being sacked, so he is finding all of the big plays without taking any of the negative plays that kill drives. Purdy is using his legs not only as a runner and a scrambler, but to find explosive passing plays down the field as well, making him very hard to stop.
The EPA numbers for the overall San Francisco offense are eye-catching on their own, but Purdy's individual marks knock them out of the park. He is currently sitting at +0.63 EPA per dropback, which is the highest in the league by a mile and more than double Drake Maye's league-leading mark from the 2025 campaign (+0.25).
The running game, while not on the same historic pace as the passing game, has also been very fruitful for Shanahan and company so far this season. The 49ers are third in the NFL in EPA per rush, second in stuff rate allowed and tied for first in rushing success rate. This offense is consistently staying ahead of the chains and dictating terms to the defense.
While the down-to-down success has been elite in San Francisco, Shanahan and Purdy have excelled at finding explosive plays during their time together. That has been the case once again in 2026. The 49ers currently boast an 11.9% explosive play rate, good for third in the NFL via Sam Hoppen. Their explosive run rate is a whopping 15.6%, also the third-best mark in the league through three weeks.
49ers are built to exploit Broncos' weaknesses
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The Broncos have one of the best defenses in the NFL, and while their numbers are just average so far this season, Vance Joseph's unit has gone up against an absolute gauntlet of opposing offenses. However, this isn't a complete defense like the Seattle Seahawks or the Houston Texans have.
The Broncos have some facets of their defense that are truly elite, and others that are major holes. Denver excels in coverage on the outside, mostly thanks to the presence of Patrick Surtain II. Surtain takes half of the field away, allowing the Broncos to allot coverage resources everywhere else.
The Denver pass rush has also been traditionally one of the best in the NFL, even if that has taken a bit of a hit so far this season with the absence of Jonathan Cooper. Nik Bonitto is still one of the bendiest edge rushers in the NFL, and Zach Allen is a disruptive force at defensive tackle.
However, the Broncos are very weak at linebacker, especially in coverage. Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad were exploitable last season in the passing game, and that has been the case once again. Through two weeks, the Broncos have allowed the second-most backfield targets in the NFL, which is bad news with Christian McCaffrey coming to town. Kyren Williams caught six passes for 70 yards for the Rams in Week 3 out of the backfield.
Singleton specifically has really struggled in coverage this season. His PFF coverage grade is just 48.1, the third-worst mark on this Broncos defense so far this season. He has allowed 13 catches, the most on the team, on just 17 targets for a team-high 178 yards per PFF. Sean McVay, Liam Coen and Andy Reid all picked on him repeatedly, and Shanahan will do the same.
Shanahan has become famous for singling out a weak link in the defense and picking at it over and over. Some call it the “Shannyscope” when he leans into it. Singleton will be under the spotlight all day long on Sunday, all while trying to cover two of the most explosive weapons in football in McCaffrey and George Kittle.
While the 49ers are set up to take advantage of Denver's weaknesses, the Broncos' strengths are likely to be mitigated in this game. Purdy has only 25 attempts to outside receivers this season, which is by far the lowest number among quarterbacks who have played in three games per Next Gen Stats. That will limit Surtain's impact in this game.
The Denver pass rush will also be limited by a 49ers offensive line that has only allowed Purdy to be pressured on an NFL-low 22.5% of his dropbacks and hasn't allowed a sack yet this year.
The Broncos have the talent to show down just about any offense, but stopping this Shanahan-led 49ers team, which is built to beat them from a personnel and scheme perspective, might be a bridge too far in Week 4.