49ers vs. Broncos: Second quarter recap, third quarter game thread

The 49ers and Broncos head into the second half, with the 49ers trailing 7-3 in a first filled with some good and some bad. The 49ers offense struggled to get much of anything going on a regular basis behind Colt McCoy and Scott Tolzien, but the second string defense looked very solid through the second quarter.

The two big performances of the first half belong to OLB Corey Lemonier and NT Ian Williams. The rookie linebacker showed how well he can get into the backfield, consistently forcing Brock Osweiler out of the pocket. Lemonier did not get a sack in the quarter, but he showed great pursuit. Williams consistently collapsed the pocket, and helped set up Osweiler for Dan Skuta's sack.

The 49ers offense has had some ups, but also plenty of downs. A.J. Jenkins caught his lone pass of the half, and then proceeded to fumble the ball as he turned up field. D.J. Harper coughed up the ball earlier inside the 49ers 10, and saw Broncos linebacker Shaun Phillips run it back for a touchdown. Harper did not do a good job securing the ball, but right tackle Patrick Omameh missed a block that led to Harper getting blown up.

The half closed on a mixed note. Scott Tolzien came on with half a minute to go and completed four straight passes for 36 yards to get down in field goal range. Unfortunately Phil Dawson missed a 44-yard field goal attempt, leaving the 49ers down 7-3.

The two teams head into the third quarter, and we'll see how the 49ers split up the QB attempts between Tolzien, McCoy and Daniels. McCoy has not done much to impress, although he has suffered behind a struggling second string offensive line.