ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Let’s get to the point. I thought the 49ers got the better of the Broncos in the teams’ joint practice today.
Start with quarterback Joe Flacco and the Broncos’ offense. I’m not sure who was supposed to block 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. But they might want to start before the weekend is through.
"I thought we were very choppy and I thought it felt like they got after us upfront a little bit," said Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.
One period in particular the 6-foot-7, 295-pound Buckner completely dominated with a sack and tackle for loss.
"He’s probably one of the three or four best interior players in this league, so yeah he’s always going to be tough to block," Scangarello said. "And if you’re not planning around him he’s going to cause problems."
As for the Denver defense, it had a tough time stopping 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the first hour of practice. Then the Denver D rallied and definitely won the final period. Two former Bronco icons -- Peyton Manning and Mike Shanahan -- spent much of practice watching this field.
"I thought it was pretty equal," said Broncos’ head coach and de facto defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
The good news is during last year’s joint practice with the Chicago Bears, the consensus was the Broncos dominated the first day. And look how the two teams wound up. The Bears won the NFL North with a 12-4 record and were one of the most surprising teams in the NFL. The Broncos suffered their second consecutive losing season.
So be careful passing judgment on a joint practice. Understand, too, that practice by definition means it’s OK to struggle and still come away feeling like practice made you better.
"It’s a good day because I think we have a young team and it's good to come out against a new team," Flacco said. "I think (the 49ers) brought a lot of energy. So, I think it was good for our team to kind of go up against that. I think we can definitely do a better job than we did today."
Still, the Broncos offense has a ways to go.
"I think we let them set the tone and we weren’t able to kind of get it back," Flacco said.
Let’s see how the Broncos’ respond in joint practice No. 2 Saturday and in the teams preseason game Monday night at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.
RELATED: Broncos, NFL players receive guide on how to financially prepare for potential 2021 work stoppage
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Sports