The San Francisco 49ers will christen Levi's Stadium on Sunday when they host the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos in Week 2 of the NFL preseason. The new state-of-the-art venue has already hosted an MLS game, but its first NFL action will feature one of the more intriguing contests of the preseason schedule thus far.
How to watch Broncos vs. 49ers 2014 online, TV schedule, radio and more
The teams will christen Levi’s Stadium in the first NFL game at the Niners’ new home.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
More on the matchup: The main draw is the quarterback battle between Peyton Manning and Colin Kaepernick. Both signal callers are the central components for their respective team's potential success, yet feature entirely different styles of play. Manning is a traditional pocket passer while Kaepernick possesses the ability to use his legs to extend plays.
Beyond the quarterbacks, both teams boast two of the NFL’s most talented rosters, but also have some question marks heading into 2014.
For Denver, a few new faces on the defensive side of the ball will set out to show whether they'll be the catalysts for a repeat trip to the Super Bowl. Aqib Talib and DeMarcus Ware headline the defensive unit for the Broncos and hope to improve the passing defense, which ranked 27th in the league in yards allowed a season ago.
In addition, they'll have to overcome the shin injury to linebacker Danny Trevathan, who suffered a fracture on Aug. 12 and will miss four to eight weeks of action.
The 49ers' immediate challenge will be finding continuity among the offensive line given Alex Boone's holdout from training camp. The third-ranked rushing attack from 2013 will also be tested given the season-ending injury to Kendall Hunter.
The defense, which ranked third in points allowed last season, has to overcome Aldon Smith's likely suspension and injuries to Glenn Dorsey and Ian Williams, among others.
The 49ers hope to get over the hump after three straight trips to the NFC Championship under Jim Harbaugh saw them miss prime opportunities to win it all. The window for Harbaugh to finish the job and lift the Lombardi Trophy won’t get much bigger than it is now.
Both teams’ journeys for NFL glory begin with the preseason, and putting together a roster of the 53 best players for their club is the priority. The hope in the second preseason game is that fans will get to see the No. 1 players from each team go head-to-head for multiple series.
Game Date/Time and Location: Sunday, Aug. 17, 4 p.m. ET, Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco, Calif.
TV schedule and distribution map: NFL Network; 506 Sports
49ers blog: Niners Nation / Follow Niners Nation on Twitter
Broncos blog: Mile High Report / Follow Mile High Report on Twitter
Radio schedule: Denver: 850 AM KOA, 103.5 FM The Fox; San Francisco: KNBR 680/1050, KSAN 107.7 The Bone
Watch Online: Verizon subscribers can watch games live with the NFL Mobile app (subscription required). NFL Game Pass offers live online broadcasts to users outside the USA.
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