Broncos vs. 49ers 2017: Time, TV channel, and how to watch online

Both teams are looking to answer some offensive questions during the late game Saturday.

Aug 19, 2017, 10:00 PM UTC

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos are on the road to face the San Francisco 49ers for Week 2 of the 2017 NFL preseason. The late game Saturday doesn’t kickoff until 10 p.m. ET, but there will be plenty of reasons to stay awake to catch this AFC-NFC showdown.

The game will air nationally on NFL Network. Fans can also tune in via Watch NFL Network or the NFL Moblie app.

Denver doesn’t appear any closer to finalizing its starting quarterback, and neither Trevor Siemian nor Paxton Lynch stood out as the clear No. 1 in their first preseason game against the Bears. Siemian was fine in his first contest, going 6-of-7 for 51 yards. Lynch wasn’t drastically different on paper, finishing the day 6-of-9 for 42 yards, but it was his demeanor that was of concern.

After the Week 1 performance, head coach Vance Joseph said he wanted Lynch to “relax, go play” and wide out Demaryius Thomas’ advice to the QB was to not overthink, especially after bad plays. The second-year player is expected to be the heir apparent, but he has yet earn the starting position through his performance. Lynch will get the start Saturday against San Francisco, but the team doesn’t seem too eager to name a No. 1 guy for the rest of the season just yet.

The Broncos are going to need to find a way to get their players reps while also keeping them healthy. The team has been plagued by injuries this offseason, and just weeks away from the start of the regular season is no time to lose your most valuable guys. Just in the week leading up to this contest, two DEs were carted off the field, Jared Crick (back) and Derek Wolfe (ankle), and rookie WR Carlos Henderson will undergo thumb surgery.

With a new head coach in Kyle Shanahan and a new starting QB in Brian Hoyer, the Niners’ offense has been a bit of a question mark heading into the season. The team’s veteran running backs Tim Hightower and Carlos Hyde are leading the rush game, and bringing some of the young guys up to par.

Far back on the depth chart is undrafted free agent Matt Breida. The rookie led the way in his first NFL preseason game, with the most forced missed tackles (6) on rush attempts in Week 1, per Pro Football Focus. Breida has earned additional reps with the ones and twos as he becomes a bit more battle-tested.

The big issue for San Francisco during its Week 1 preseason win over Kansas City was the number of penalties they drew — 17 penalties for 131 yards, and another four penalties that were offsetting or declined. Despite some of the shortcomings of the offense, the Niners rotated out their starting offensive line pretty quickly, giving the illusion their first team is all but set.

After two joint practices — one padded, one not — Denver and San Francisco are looking for some answers on offense from their Week 2 preseason matchup, as they inch closer to the regular season.