Notes from the fourth quarter (wholly unoriginal opening, I know) …

7:19 P.M. PDT: Two passes, two incompletions as the 49ers attempt to turn first-and-goal into their first touchdown since the first quarter. (That’s a lot of firsts.)

7:20 P.M. PDT: If at first you don’t succeed … after Steve Cargile was denied a goal-line interception on a tipped ball in the second quarter, he got an errant end-zone pass in the fourth.

7:23 P.M. PDT: Three-and-out for the Broncos, but Todd Sauerbrun got off his best punt of the night, covering a net of 43 yards.

Random thought with which to begin the second half … I miss the Old West saloon-style font that the 49ers once used to display their nickname in the end zones here at Monster Park. The way “49ers” is written now is a little too generic and just a smidgen too close to their disastrous experiment at changing the logo back in 1992. This was so bad, it lasted only a day. If it’s going to be “Bill Walsh Field,” I say make the thing look the way it did when he was coaching — minus the baseball infield, of course, which would nowadays be superfluous with the Giants at AT&T Park a few miles to the north.

6:53 P.M. PDT: As Bart Simpson once said, “Time for chili.” Meanwhile, the second half is underwary and Shaun Hill just kept the Broncos from a half-opening three-and-out stop with a 19-yard scramble into the open field.

6:57 P.M. PDT: Forty Niners back in scoring range again, although Kenard Lang and Alvin McKinley just forced the Niners into a fourth-and-1 … from which they got nowhere after Nate Webster helped collapse the blocking, stopping Arkee Whitlock in the backfield and ending the 49ers’ threat at the Denver 29.

Heidi-ho, and off we go, on to the second quarter …

5:45 P.M. PDT: This press box is just sound-proof enough for me to be unable to get a feel for the music. But I can tell they’re playing Jungle Boogie right now. Always a good choice, even when we’re not in Cincinnati.

5:46 P.M. PDT: Touchdown, Troy Fleming, who looked very much like Kyle Johnson in swinging to the goal line in the right side of the field to receive Patrick Ramsey’s pass. The three-yard score puts Denver back in front, 14-10.

5:51 P.M. PDT: Running-back stats — Mike Bell: Five carries for 35 yards; Cecil Sapp: two carries for 13 yards; Travis Henry: five carries for 27 yards. The second-team defense makes its first appearance, and the tandem of defensive ends Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder made its first impact, as both stalked Trent Dilfer and forced him to the left side, where Crowder notched the sack. Two plays later, Jimmy Kennedy stops Michael Robinson in the open field, and the 49ers will punt from their 24-yard-line.