The only team Bill Walsh and Joe Montana hadn’t beaten during their days with the San Francisco 49ers was the Denver Broncos. Four times the two powers from the American and National Football Leagues had squared off beginning in 1979 and through Walsh's final year as head coach, 1988.
The Broncos had won twice in Denver and twice in San Francisco. In their Super Bowl meeting the 49ers were prohibitive favorites in George Seifert’s first year as head coach. The 49ers had capped Walsh’s career on the sidelines the prior January with a dramatic Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. They were heavy favorites to win a second consecutive Vince Lombardi Trophy when Denver and San Francisco squared off in Super Bowl XXIV.
One might have thought the 49ers were confident given they were both the defending champs and favored by a dozen points on the spread.
They weren’t.
John Elway and his Broncos were nothing to take for granted. How could they … they’d never beaten them.
Few things are more potent in capturing wins in the National Football League than when talent is coupled with motivation. Given the 49ers had supreme respect for Elway and company they took the field not looking for an easy win but prepared to do whatever it took to capture their first ever victory over Elway.
The New Orleans site turned out to be the Big Easy for Montana and company as they rolled to the most lopsided victory in Super Bowl history, 55-10.
These two longtime rivals from competing conferences meet again this week in the 49ers home stadium. The 49ers are favored and bring a perfect 3-0 mark into this contest that includes decisive wins over all three of their 2026 opponents. They opened their campaign in Australia against the preseason Super Bowl favored Los Angeles Rams and pinned Sean McVay’s squad with a 27-7 loss.
In second week action, they made quick work of the overmatched Miami Dolphins and last week controlled the action in a game much more in favor of the 49ers than the final score, 36-30, would indicate. Three games in the books and the 49ers have tallied 98 points while allowing 50. My numbers show that during the Super Bowl era 22 teams have ended a regular season with twice as many points scored as allowed. The last seven, beginning with the 49ers in 1984, have gone on to win the Super Bowl.
The 49ers scoring and defense is on a pace to possibly hit that rare mark this season. Brock Purdy has been near perfect and despite another rash of preseason injuries, the 49ers have enough healthy players on the field to dominate their opposition.
Now here comes the Broncos. They too came into the season with a lot of fanfare on their prospects for winning Super Bowl LXI next February in Los Angeles. Yet, despite the hype, the Broncos have not been nearly as dominant on the field as the 49ers.
The Broncos got blown out in their opener against their primary AFC West Division rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. They followed up that 31-10 setback with a hard fought second half comeback to edge the talented Jacksonville Jaguars at Mile High Stadium, 20-13. Last week, the Broncos again put on a second half exhibition to excite their home fans while overcoming a 16-0 halftime deficit and winning the game over the highly touted Rams, 30-26.
That victory helped the 49ers in their quest to win the NFC West. Both the Rams and defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks play out of the same division as the 49ers. On the same day the Seattle Seahawks lost their first contest of the year in a surprise defeat suffered against the Commanders in Washington and the Rams lost their second game of the season in the Sunday night game.
Yes, last week was a very good one for the 49ers. All three of the teams they compete against in their division lost, and the 49ers are now alone in first place with a two-game early season bulge over the Rams.
In the AFC West, the Broncos trail a pair of teams with 3-0 marks, the Chiefs and surprising Las Vegas Raiders.
In other words, the Niners come into this game in great shape and the Broncos in need of a win to at least stay within shouting distance of the winner of the contest on Sunday between the Raiders and Chiefs.
The factors that generate focus are all possessed by the Broncos, and while they got blown out in Super Bowl XXIV, they are going to get a road win on Sunday.
Qoxhi Picks: Denver Broncos (+2½) over San Francisco 49ers