The sun is setting over Denver; is it setting on the Broncos’ season? We will learn that answer over the next 15 minutes of game time.
4:40 p.m. MST: San Francisco opens with first-and-10 at its 42. The crowd is boisterous, but its quick silence after a 7-yard Frank Gore run on the play is testament to the uneasiness that seems to permeate the 70,697 onlookers.
4:42 p.m. MST: San Francisco in the red zone after a 35-yard Alex Smith-to-Arnaz Battle pass.
4:44 p.m. MST: Good coverage and pressure from Ebenezer Ekuban and Michael Myers forces Smith to roll left and settle for a toss out of bounds and away from danger. Joe Nedney salvages a 29-yard field goal, however, and the Broncos trail 20-16.
4:47 p.m. MST: First-and-10 from the Denver 28, 11:51 to go, and the Broncos out of timeouts, which could dramatically alter the decisions that follow throughout this period.
4:50 p.m. MST: Mike Nolan challenges the Broncos’ 15-yard Jay Cutler-to-Tatum Bell screen pass. It appeared as though Bell lost the football before hitting the ground. The question is … does replay show that the 49ers definitively recovered it? This play would have been unchangeable a year ago, but the league’s replay regulations were modified in the offseason to allow for reviews of fumbles after the whistle blew.
4:55 p.m. MST: Walt Harris picks the ball up well after the play after Bell fell on the football. What will Larry Nemmers rule?
4:56 p.m. MST: Forty Niners ball, according to Nemmers. Bell laid upon the ball for a second or two. Harris looked like he picked up the football simply to hand it to umpire Undrey Wash. Yet Harris’ casual little procurement — which seems merely like a bit of courtesy to keep an official from kneeling to get the football — gives the 49ers the football at the precipice of scoring position.
5:00 p.m. MST: “Broncos ball, Broncos ball,” chants the crowd after the officials discuss a Smith-to-Taylor Jacobs pass that sees Karl Paymah strip him of the football, pick it up and — eventually, after some prodding from John Lynch — take off.
5:04 p.m. MST: Nemmers still looking in the replay apparatus.
5:05 p.m. MST: Now it’s ruled incomplete. Jacobs took three steps before hitting the ground and losing the football. “How that can be an incomplete pass, I have no idea,” says KOA’s Dave Logan.
5:09 p.m. MST: Third-and-7 from the Denver 9 for the Broncos … and Cutler’s pass for Rod Smith is incomplete for a costly three-and-out. Just 8:44 remains in the game now.
5:11 p.m. MST: Denver needed a booming punt, and Paul Ernster couldn’t deliver, with a 35-yard punt that had a net of just 32 after the return. One play later, Frank Gore has the 49ers in scoring position after a 12-yard run to the Denver 29.
5:13 p.m. MST: Frank Gore up to 119 yards on the ground. San Francisco down to one timeout after Smith can’t get the play off before the snap. Forty Niners face third-and-8 from the Denver 27 after the timeout.
5:15 p.m. MST: Smith in the shotgun … flags fly as San Fran’s Adam Snyder is whistled for a false start.
5:16 p.m. MST: Karl Paymah in good coverage on Jacobs … incomplete in the end zone. Joe Nedney on to attempt a 51-yard field goal … three flags fly as Ebenezer Ekuban was called for a flinch that supposedly caused a Niners lineman to false start. Ekuban took a knee, the Niners reacted, and the five-yard penalty makes it a 46-yard attempt, which Nedney nails. Denver trails 23-16.
5:19 p.m. MST: With a seven-point deficit and no timeouts and 80 yards between his team and the end zone, the Broncos face their biggest possession of the season. It begins with a 3-yard Mike Bell run on first-and-10.
5:20 p.m. MST: Cutler finds Javon Walker, but the ball skips in and out of the wideout’s hands.
5:21 p.m. MST: False start, Denver, Erik Pears. Now third-and-12. The situation grows a little more grim.
5:22 p.m. MST: Mike Bell behind Rod Smith, Ben Hamilton and Tony Scheffler for a 24-yard catch-and-run that puts a little CPR into the Broncos’ season.
5:23 p.m. MST: Bell for eight more yards. Broncos taking their time, huddling between plays. Clock down to 4:10.
5:24 p.m. MST: Cutler to Walker for three yards. First-and-10 from the San Francisco 47. The crowd seems nervous and tight.
5:25 p.m. MST: Cutler for David Kircus, 11 yards, first down to the 36. Less than three minutes remain.
5:26 p.m. MST: A draw play to Mike Bell gains just one yard. Denver huddles before second-and-9. Cutler with a straight drop, and locates Brandon Marshall across the middle at the San Francisco 16. Two-minute warning.
5:28 p.m. MST: Mike Bell does it by himself for seven yards on a screen for Cutler. Clock ticking, down below 1:40. No huddle for the Broncos.
5:28 p.m. MST: Touchdown, Tony Scheffler. PAT is good.
5:29 p.m. MST: Did the Broncos leave too much time for a response? Ninety seconds remain.
5:30 p.m. MST: The rookies got the Broncos to the end zone. It’s now up to the veterans on defense to keep the 49ers out of field-goal range. Fingernails are down to nubs from Grand Junction to Jefferson City as the Chiefs and Broncos’ fans sit nervously awaiting this result.
5:31 p.m. MST: Kickoff return to the San Fran 34. That continues to be a bugaboo.
5:32 p.m. MST: Niners with second-and-5 from the 39. Smith under center. Blitzed by a horde of Broncos; there’s bringing the house, but that was bringing the mansion … Smith tosses it softly for Gore, who can’t quite hang on.
5:33 p.m. MST: Handoff to Gore, who is three yards short of the first down. Five seconds difference between the game clock and play clock.
5:34 p.m. MST: Overtime. “We will toss the coin at midfield for the overtime.” Where else would it be tossed — in the tunnel? In the broadcast booth?
5:35 p.m. MST: San Francisco calls heads. It is tails — for a second coin toss today.
5:39 p.m. MST: Crowd going bonkers as overtime begins. Nedney’s kickoff sails 71 yards and is returned 28 yards.
5:40 p.m. MST: Flanker screen to Marshall goes for just one yard — although it actually went about a foot … Second-and-9, and Smith takes the pass and runs right for the sticks. First down.
5:41 p.m. MST: Back-to-back plays to Mike Bell up the middle leave Denver about a yard and a half short of the first down … third-and-a-long-1 from the Denver 46. Bell collided with Bryant Young on the second of those carries; Bell stays in while Young leaves, a little shaken up.
5:42 p.m. MST: Bell loses his footing as he takes the handoff … he nearly lost the ball, but falls on it. That leaves fourth-and-4 from the 43, and sends Paul Ernster onto the field to punt.
5:43 p.m. MST: Ernster uncorks a 46-yard punt … nice and high, fair caught. Just what the Broncos desperately needed. Crowd chanting “Defense.” Most of the spectators are on their feet.
5:43 p.m. MST: Gore picks up six yards on first down — right up the middle.
5:44 p.m. MST: First down, Niners after Smith finds Gore for six more yards.
5:46 p.m. MST: Another first down as Smith finds Michael Robinson open across the middle to the 49ers 40. About 25 yards away from field-goal range now.
5:47 p.m. MST: Now to midfield after Gore slams 10 yards up the left side. With injuries all around, the defense might be a little tired.
5:48 p.m. MST: Heavy doses of Gore now. Six yards up the middle.
5:48 p.m. MST: Gore can’t get anywhere as he looks to bounce outside. Third-and-4 from the 44 upcoming … biggest play of the year for the Broncos.
5:48 p.m. MST: Smith blitzed. His throw overshoots everyone. The “incomplete” chant has rarely sounded louder.
5:49 p.m. MST: With 7:01 left, Kircus calls for the fair catch at the Denver 11. Broncos desperately need at least a couple of first downs here to at least get some field position.
5:50 p.m. MST: Cutler’s first-and-10 pass is tipped at the line of scrimmage. Mike Bell slams forward for six yards on second down. Monstrous third-and-4 play awaits.
5:51 p.m. MST: Cutler for Walker … huge lunge by Walker for the first down.
5:52 p.m. MST: Tatum Bell back in the game … he gets two yards on a screen pass. Clock down to 5:15. Broncos taking their time between plays.
5:53 p.m. MST: Clock down to 4:52 as flags fly … false start on Ben Hamilton puts the Broncos back at their 19 with second-and-13.
5:53 p.m. MST: Forty Niners call timeout.
5:54 p.m. MST: Cutler for Brandon Marshall … he dives for the ball, and can’t quite hang on. Instead of first-and-10 at the 40, it’s third-and-13 from the 19. Clock stopped with 4:45 left.
5:55 p.m. MST: Ernster needs another punt like he uncorked earlier in overtime … and he gets it, but Brandon Williams returns it to the 49ers 39. The net yardage is 42.
5:57 p.m. MST: First-and-10 from the 39 … and a reverse gets the 49ers to the Denver 41.
5:58 p.m. MST: Smith under pressure and throws incomplete to the left side. Crowd on its feet, but nervous.
5:58 p.m. MST: Second-and-10 from the Denver 41 … Gore goes left out of the I-formation for two yards.
5:59 p.m. MST: Third-and-8 from the Denver 39 … the way Nedney has been booming it on kickoffs, this IS field-goal range … but it’s academic after a 14-yard completion to Gilmore in front of Karl Paymah. Just 3:16 remains in overtime … and possibly the Broncos’ season.
6 p.m. MST: I-formation … Gore up the middle for four yards to the 21. The stadium is deathly silent after that run. Some spectators have turned and headed towards the exits.
6:01 p.m. MST: Gore up the middle for three more. Two-minute warning.
6:03 p.m. MST: Niners choose to kick on third down. Nedney, a former Bronco, sticks the stake in the heart of his former team with a 36-yard field goal. Ballgame, Broncos lose, 26-23.
Tags: San Francisco 49ers
YEAH! THEY DIDNT MAKE IT!
oh great, we’re not out of the woods yet. the moment of truth (the other one), the coin toss…
YES!
hey … when was the last time u saw a kickoff returned for a TD for the Broncos .. i don’t think i ever have .. fan since 1982 … just curious
well they dont need a touchdown…just a FG…touchdown would be nice though…hehe
Okay kids, here we go! Buckle up!
what we really need is one of those breakout runs like the one from last year’s thanksgiving…
dont wanna sound mean, but phew, there goes one of their leading tacklers…
u all see cutler push that guy .. he is no rookie my man .. real deal ….
Truly, we are our own worst enemy…
mmmm bells can’t seem to hold onto balls
TIE AND WE”RE IN >>>>LOL
i dont wanna sound negative, but a tie game, and the broncos still make the playoffs…
a tie will work just as well, go clock!!
Aw heck, put it away now! For cryin’ out loud! Just line up 5 WR’s or 4 WR and Scheffler and march down the field. The RB’s are making me nervous and frustrated. Might as well let it all hang out now.
sure are having a lot of stupid penalties for a shanahan coached team
FALSE START??!!
Cutler is the man yall .. many super bowls in the future
denver has the least penalities of any team in the NFL. its not shanahan’s fault, its the freakin refs. do the 49ers even ahve any penalities?
let’s just hope for the playoffs at least this year
omg .. we have to rely on our DEEEEE … bend but break like a bitch group .. c yas
4 down territory for the whiners
wow, noone within 5 yards of him on 3rd down
So much for this season. Better luck next year Broncos.
less when they score
how about al wilson come in and hit someone, can’t rest for next week if u don’t win
UNBELIEVABLE!!! TIL NEXT YEAR, S.O.B.
I think all Shanahan needs to say now is, “We earned it.” That in-and-of-itself should be motivation dwell on for the next 8 months…
Shanahan earned a big kick in the butt for himself. He needs to go back to play calling school, and come up with something other than the same sad old plays he keeps calling over and over. They only had 1 or 2 out of the ordinary plays per game for the whole season, and every team out there knew exactly what defense to use against us. Mix it up a bit next year Shannie.
the 49ers are a joke. they had nothing to gain by winning this game, and they went it like a bunch of morons.
go and lose already, you get a higher draft pick, we get playoffs, both sides happy….
mike nolan the idiot
As was said earlier, this team got exaclty what it deserved….4-4 at home is a disgrace….
Every hole on the team was abused today, and another big, physical back shredded the defense. I think it is pretty obvious what we need to do in the off-season….
TSG
http://www.milehighreport.com
this denver offence is truly offensive tha opposing defences know the plays better than the denver offence time for a different philosophy as in a new coach
i have been a fan since 83 … i have watched the broncos lose more then they have won (east coast fan .. don’t get much broncos on the tube )… the bend but dont break defense has ruined many monday mornings for me .. ( i”ll always remember the loss to oakland one monday night .. we were up by like 60 .. lol ) .. I will never give up on them .. CUTLER is the next ELWAY .. the man is big and he has CHARISMA .. lol . I remember when Tony Dorsett came here to Retire .. we got to stop bein the retirement place for proffesional athletes .. John Lynch makes hard hits every 30 downs .. its the other 29 i worry bout!!!! he must go…o-line is the key to all NFL .. if we get CUTLER an o-line …the man will be phenomenable … the dude is the real deal!!!!!! .. Peace .. happy new year
yo man i know everybody is probably upset but hey…look at jay cutler, da man showed alot of poise in the fourth quater n drove us right down da field, da defense once again did not do its job. We need a new defensive coordinator bad, we have too much talent on this defense to be getting run over like this, champ bailey had his best season of his carrer n we dont make the playoffs? dats not right, but next year we will be in the playoffs, next year we will be in da AFC championship game, because jay cutler will contunue to grow in training camp and in practice, and brandon marshall and tony sheffler are starting to become reliable targets, i think we need a running back in the draft. the bell’s are ok but when Elway won his superbowls, he didnt have an OK RB, he had 1 the business has ever seen. We need to find that running back, and neither of those guys are. We have found the next Jhon Elway, lets find the next Tarrell Davis. PEACE
God D— Jacksonville … lol .. they cost us … good thing we lost now stead of 1 or 2 weeks from now ( like the chiefs) … Broncos . u gotta love em .. CUTLER is the s— .. Real Deal……….get rid of lynch and Po Tatum………..O-Line baby … KEY… Happy new year .. the ghost of ELWAY has arrived !!!! and he is p—ed off .. lol Cutler is Da Man
I hate to say this but, the Broncos are a long way from being real contendor’s for the SB. It will take Cutler at least 1 more season to truly grasp playing Quaterback in the NFL and on top of that learning all of the intracacies of the West Coast offense that Shanahan has. What is needed to at least make the playoffs is a decent pass rusher. The Broncos suffered this year because no one created pressure. Their schemes were terrible. To bad there are not many great pass rushers in the draft this year. It will be more like two years before the broncos make the playoffs. Sorry Denver Fans.
1) Upgrade the offensive line. The run game has been hurt this season and Cutler took way too many crucial hits in this 49ers game. Granted Lepsis will be back next season but I still think some changes should be made.
2) Do something about the defensive line. No pressure, and they are making our CBs look stupid out there (Champ included). It tends to be very difficult to defend the pass when the opposing quarterback has all day to throw the ball.
3) Pat Bowlen calls our fans the best any sports team could ask for. I’m sorry, but the fans that showed up for the game today (and in past weeks) were exactly the opposite. I’m sick of the booing, and incredibly tired of watching people leave halfway through the 4th quarter. If you aren’t going to come and yell until your voice is hoarse, please just give your tickets to someone else who will.
Overall, the season had some huge ups and downs. But as always I look forward to next year!
I cant tell, are we a few key players (DL, OL) away from being a dominant team, or are we in need of alot ofhelp?
I like Mike Bell alot and hopefully he can up his game for next year. Tatum reminds me of Ashley Lelie, big time speed and not much else.
OL, it didnt seem to be such an issue until Lepsis went down, was he that big a key to it all? Maybe move Pears to RT next year sinc eFoster seems to be a mess
DL,…ummm, why didnt we want to pay Pryce all that money? Situational pass rushers arnt cutting it, we need a guy who’ll disrupt the pocket on first down. I cant tell if Warren and Myers are good or not either
can someone tell me what happend to Ernsters leg?
and Ronnie Bradford needs to go
heres to hoping we only need a few pieces to the puzzle
today sucks to be a Denver fan in San Diego
We have some work to do in the off season. It will get done!
Go Broncos!
Diane
http://www.sacredjourneymassage.com
Since, for whatever reason, it hasn’t been posted on here. I want to express my sincerest condolences to the Williams family and Bronco Nation. Darrent Williams, we all gave you a hard time but playing opposite the best CB in the league what should we have expected? You played your heart out for us the two seasons you were with us and you will be extremely missed. R.I.P. #27!
THANKS SHANAHAN……
7-4 start. U make a change and we finish with no playoffs. In OUR HEARTS we all know the real reason for this. I dont even have to say it. U REALLY SCREWED THIS ONE UP.
My condolences go out to the Williams family, and the Denver Broncos. Darrent Williams was a fine conerback, and will be missed tremedously. We all loved you, and Broncos fans are heartbroken today.
Condolences to the Williams family again. It is a terrible shame to die so young. I hope they catch the guy that did it, and make him understand what a horrible thing he’s done. Darrent had not reached his full potential, but I’m sure under the tutelage of Champ Bailey and Al Wilson he would have been one of the best in a few years.
My condolences to Darrent and his family but all in all we are all family here. I can’t believe how emotional I have been about this when I have never even spoken to the man regardless of how bad I would’ve loved to meet him. True bronco, he will be missed and as for the season. It was a long confusing one for us this year. BUT a very telling one where we found a new core offensive weapons. Scheff, Brandon, Cutler and M. Bell will be stars soon in this league. Next year is can’t miss for this team especially for the D because we will now have 12 men on the field at all times. Darrent will be with them for every play I’ll tell ya that!!! GO BRONCOS!!!
Omg:”"( I just cant believe somebody could do this.
God I hope you find that bad guy and prosecute him to the full extent of the law.
I would like to send my love and prayers to Darrents mom &family ,children,team players,fans
Dear Mr,Jesus please watch over all of Darrent’s family,team mates,Mike Shanahan,and the Bronco Nation
I cant stop crying, its just so sad but i know our team will recover from this
and Darrent will be with us in August In Spirit.
We All Need Time To Heal From This
I LOVE YOU #27 FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS
Love to all
Sharon Kross
NJ BroncoFan
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