Four winners and three losers from the 49ers win over the Broncos

The San Francisco 49ers were always going to beat the Denver Broncos in the long run. The Niners didn’t get off to the hottest start, but they made enough plays to win 24-15. Now that we’ve recapped the came, here are four winners and three losers from Monday Night Football.

Winners

Solomon Thomas

Solly has looked like a different player in practice, and he continued to show that against the Broncos. If you look at the box score, Thomas had a couple of solo tackles, one for a loss, and that’s it. His effort was everything. Thomas played inside and out and was hustling all over the place. If he plays like he did Monday Night when DeForest Buckner, Dee Ford, and Nick Bosa are on the field, the defense will be better than the biggest homer imagined. Here are some of his plays:

Raheem Mostert

Mostert found the end zone and his celebration was bigger than football. If we’re leaving it to football, Mostert will make it difficult to leave him out of the running back mix. Mostert had eight touches for 100 yards. Three of his five carries went for first downs, and two of them went for more than ten yards. Knowing health has been an issue at running back, Mostert proved that he belongs.

Losers

Jimmy Garoppolo

I’m going to go throw-for-throw, and walk through Garoppolo’s performance later on. I understand this is his first live-action in nearly a year, and none of this will matter if the 49ers are 5-2. We still have to talk about his play. None of Jimmy G’s surrounding parts did him any favors, but neither did he. Garoppolo looked like a player that hasn’t been hit. He was gun-shy when it came to stepping up in the pocket. That led to some poor decision-making and a result that we would all love to forget.

DJ Reed

Reed’s final stats look better than what they should have been. He was targeted four times and gave up three receptions. If you recall, he gave up a 45-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders that was negated by a Garrett Bolles holding call. Reed gave up back-to-back catches that allowed Denver to extend the drive. He did break up a pass and came free on a blitz, but for someone who is competing for a starting spot, Reed did not help himself against the Broncos.

Offensive tackles

Early on there was some apparent miscommunication between the offensive line. When Joe freaking Staley is letting a defender run right past him, something is up. Justin Skule picked up where he left off last week, and that is not a compliment. The rookie allowed a sack, another pressure, and also had a penalty. At this rate, he might not even make the practice squad. I don’t remember Willie Beavers or Sam Young being beaten, but they didn’t exactly stand out, either.

Winners

Jaquiski Tartt

Tartt looked like a player that I watched a couple of years ago when I thought he was a top-five safety. You want a safety to be active, and Tartt was just that. Tartt finished the game with six tackles, three of those were stops. He was targeted twice, one of those Tartt broke up the pass, and the other didn’t gain a yard. He showed range by pursuing a play from the backside that resulted in a tackle for loss. It was an excellent showing for Tartt. A reminder that he’s a really good football player.

Backup defensive line

This group owned Denver’s offensive line all night. It was an impressive showing for several guys. The defense finished with seven sacks and 19 hurries. Kentavius Street and Jay Bromley had two sacks. Damontre Moore continues to beat offensive tackles. He finished with a couple of hurries. UDFA Kevin Givens was too quick for Denver’s interior, as he flashed in the backfield a couple of times as well. Jeremiah Valoaga had a sack, two hurries, and five stops. Think Kris Kocurek is making a difference?