49ers 24, Broncos 14: Kittle Outruns Hufanga

October 4, 2026 - Santa Clara - It was still 3-3. Then Marvin Mims Jr. put a punt on the grass, Siran Neal fell on it, and Brock Purdy had 28 yards of field. Nine plays later Deebo Samuel Sr. scored from a yard. The heat had already done the boring half. The 49ers did the rest.

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 24-14 and closed a three-game homestand 4-0. Denver is 2-2. Purdy threw two second-half touchdowns. George Kittle took the last one 56 yards past Talanoa Hufanga, a former teammate, with 2:15 left.

3-3, a blocked kick, then the return

Wil Lutz opened from 52 after 13 plays. 3-0. Eddy Pineiro tied it from 24 with 1:36 left in the half. San Francisco lined up again as the clock died. The kick was blocked. 3-3 into the locker room.

The 49ers' site says Neal's recovery flipped the field. ESPN's recap names Mims on the fumbled return. Purdy hit Samuel from a yard at 4:15 of the third. 10-3. Lutz from 40 on fourth-and-2 early in the fourth. 10-6. Christian McCaffrey finished 74 yards later from a yard. 17-6.

Bo Nix found Jaylen Waddle from 13. Tyler Badie ran in the two-point try. 17-14, 4:05 left. Five plays after that, Purdy dumped a screen. Kittle saw grass. He beat Hufanga. 24-14. Kittle told ESPN he ran the whole way with a smile and that he turns 33 on Friday.

Purdy 218, Evans through the rib

Purdy finished 19 of 30 for 218 yards and the two scores. No picks. Ten rushes for 29. The 49ers said he was 10 of 16 for 89 before the break and 9 of 14 for 129 after it. McCaffrey ran 15 times for 52 and the 1-yarder and caught three for 18. Samuel had five catches for 26, the short score, and three rushes for 44. Mike Evans caught five for 76 while playing through a rib injury, per the club's postgame video notes. Kittle had four for 70 and the long one.

Nix went 25 of 42 for 214 yards and the Waddle score. RJ Harvey caught all 10 of his targets for 68 and ran seven times for 25. J.K. Dobbins ran 11 for 40. Courtland Sutton had one catch for 4. Evan Engram had one for 6. Denver had 296 yards. San Francisco had 358, one penalty for 5 yards, and zero turnovers. Time of possession: 30:53 Denver, 29:07 San Francisco. The Broncos converted 8 of 17 third downs and still lost because the return and the screen decided it.

Dre Greenlaw played his former club and led San Francisco's tackle sheet (7 solo, 5 assists, a forced fumble). Alex Singleton had 6 solo and 8 assists for Denver. Fred Warner added 3 solo, 4 assists, and two passes defensed. Kyle Shanahan praised Greenlaw after the game and the offensive line for keeping the rush honest against that front. Purdy said the first half was little mistakes, then Neal got the ball back, and that is why it is a four-quarter game. Sean Payton said the margins were slim and the kicking-game turnover flipped the field. Nix said there were plays left on the grass.

Lutz also missed one, which is in the nflverse kicking line. Pineiro made the 24-yarder and both extra points after the lead changed. The 49ers are 4-0 for the third time since 2019, per the club. They visit Seattle next. Denver visits the Chargers, another 0-4 AFC West club.

AthX Engine on a 4-0 homestand

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 4 lines in. Singleton is 40.00. Greenlaw is 39.50. Purdy is 36.69. Harvey is 31.45. Kittle is 29.50. San Francisco's team line is 70.50.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a 4-0 club that needed a muffed punt to get going, and for Kittle beating a safety who used to share a locker room. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Purdy, McCaffrey, Kittle, Nix, and both clubs on the marketplace. San Francisco visits Seattle on Oct. 11. Denver visits the Chargers that afternoon.

*Sources: ESPN recap, 49ers takeaways, 49ers box, postgame comments. AthX Engine Week 4 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*