Denver Broncos Take On San Francisco 49ers In Week 2 Of Preseason

Denver Broncos (1-0) - San Francisco 49ers (0-1)

Date: 08/17/14

Time: 1:00 PM PDT

Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

Last Game: Broncos won 21-16 over the Seattle Seahawks at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. 49ers lost 23-3 to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Last Time Met: Broncos 10 49ers 6 in preseason week 1 on August 8, 2013 @ Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA.

The Broncos help the 49ers open up their brand new, state of the art facility known as Levi’s Stadium for week 2 of the 2014 preseason. Starters are expected to play most of the first half. The two teams play again in Denver during Week 7 of the regular season. Don't expect much in the way of a real gameplan as both teams will be holding back much of their playbook since they will be meeting again in October.

Five Things To Look For As The Broncos Play The 49ers:

Brandon Marshall replacing the injured Danny Trevathan at weakside linebacker:

Brandon Marshall will play his first game as a starter at weakside linebacker as he replaces Danny Trevathan, who suffered a left medial tibial impaction fracture, a broken bone underneath the left knee.

Marshall, a fifth round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012, was signed by the Broncos during the 2013 training camp and stayed on the practice squad until being activated to replace the injured Von Miller for the Week 17 matchup in Oakland against the Raiders. Marshall remained on the active roster for the remainder of the postseason.

"Now, I'm familiar with the defense, I have a couple of years in the league, so I know what the NFL is about," Marshall said. "So I'm definitely ready if the time was to come."

Marshall appeared confident and in command as he practiced this week. He impressed the coaches and showed his teammates that he was ready to step in to Trevathan’s spot on the defense without skipping a beat.

"He is athletic," defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said. "I am excited to get a chance to really evaluate him in a more prominent role."

The position belongs to Marshall, as long as he continues to show he can handle it, until Trevathan returns for Week 5 of the regular season against the Arizona Cardinals at home.

Rookie Juwan Thompson continue to impress:

An emergency appendectomy for running back Montee Ball combined with a concussion sustained by third string running back C.J. Anderson in last week’s preseason opener against the Seahawks has thrusted rookie Juwan Thompson into the spotlight. Thompson made the most of his opportunity against the Seahawks by rushing for a team high 59 yards on just six carries (9.8 yard average), including breaking off a 20 yard run.

During practice this week Thompson, along with second string running back Ronnie Hillman took turns practicing with the first string offense. Anderson was cleared to return to practice on Thursday and was also given reps with the starting offense. It’s apparent that the depth chart behind Ball is wide open as the team heads into week 2 of the preseason.

At 5’11” and 225 lbs, Thompson is the the largest of the running backs. With Ball out till next week and the Broncos playing it safe regarding Anderson’s concussion, Thompson will see plenty of action against the 49ers. Thompson continued the momentum that started in the Seahawks game throughout the week of practice.

"You just want to be prepared at any given time when Peyton throws anything at you,” said Thompson. “At the end of the day, I can just ask him, so that I can feel 100 percent guaranteed about what I'm doing out there."

Emmanuel Sanders out/Jordan Norwood in

Emmanuel Sanders, acquired in the offseason as a costless agent wide receiver from the Pittsburgh Steelers, has been battling a thigh injury that has limited him in practice over the last two weeks. Sanders was held out of practice on Friday and his availability for today’s game is questionable. Sanders did surprise last week against the Seahawks and made the start. If Sanders does not make the start today it will be Jordan Norwood who will step in.

Norwood, 27, is a five year veteran who played in just 17 games in his career for the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was out of football in 2013 before being signed by the Broncos in the offseason.

Possessing an encyclopedic mind when it comes to football, Norwood may be the closest to Peyton Manning intellectually than any other Bronco.

"You can tell he is very smart in what the defense is trying to do," offensive coordinator Adam Gase said. "And he really understands what we're trying to do with our scheme compared to the defense's scheme."

Norwood is currently listed as the backup to Wes Welker on the depth chart as a wide receiver and punt returner. He made back-to-back receptions from Manning in the two minute drill during practice on Friday while spending time with the first string offense. If the Broncos keep six receivers it is expected that Norwood would make the team. He has also showed he has the best hands as a kick returner during camp. With the concussion issues Welker has had recently, the Broncos would be better off with Norwood returning kick offs rather than Welker.

Defensive Players continue to get healthy:

A top five defense in 2012 suffered through multiple losses due to injuries in 2013. The 2014 version of the Broncos defense is beginning to get those players back healthy to combine with their All-Pro acquisitions made in the off season.

Safety Rahim Moore and defensive tackle Derek Wolfe have been at full speed since the beginning of training camp. Defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson was slowed at the beginning of camp but is back to a normal workload. Linebacker Von Miller and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. were involved in full team drills this past week and are expected to be back in action next week when the Broncos take on the Houston Texans.

"I've been saying I feel great," Harris Jr. said. "I don't even feel like I had an injury or anything. My knee feels stronger and I've felt like I could do everything for a while. I didn't want to rush it and do something I shouldn't, but I wanted to work as hard as I could to get back as fast as I could, too."

The defense was aggressive last week against the Seahawks, recording two sacks of Russell Wilson and keeping him on the run most of his time in the game. The defense will need another strong game in order to contain the very mobile 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Offense will be dealing with an unusually pumped up crowd in Levi’s Stadium:

The Broncos offense practiced all week with music blaring from speakers in order to prepare for the expected crowd noise they will face in today’s game. With the new stadium opening, the crowd will be unusually amped for a preseason game. It will be a good practice run for the Broncos who will be heading to the NFL’s loudest stadium at Century Link Field in Seattle for their Week 3 regular season showdown with the Seahawks.