Shanahan passes Walsh milestone as 49ers beat Broncos to reach 4-0

Kyle Shanahan moved ahead of Bill Walsh for the most regular-season games coached in San Francisco 49ers history as his team beat the Denver Broncos 24-14 on Sunday. The 49ers’ official report identified the game at Levi’s Stadium as Shanahan’s 167th, with San Francisco improving to 4-0 and completing a three-game home stand without a defeat.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T1_zYMHPaQ

In postgame comments published by the club on Monday, Shanahan credited the team and organisation for making his long tenure possible. He said he had learned of the approaching milestone the previous week and had discussed it with Kyle Juszczyk and George Kittle, who had been with him throughout that stretch.

The game was tied 3-3 at halftime before a special-teams takeaway helped San Francisco take control. Siran Neal stripped Broncos punt returner Marvin Mims Jr. and recovered the ball at Denver’s 28-yard line. Brock Purdy subsequently found Deebo Samuel for a one-yard touchdown, putting the home side ahead 10-3 after a nine-play possession.

Shanahan said the coaching staff had challenged the special-teams unit before the game to produce a turnover. He explained that the intended emphasis on running the ball required support from the other units, and praised the defence for allowing the offence to maintain that approach. Purdy also highlighted Neal’s recovery when discussing the second-half improvement.

Christian McCaffrey added a fourth-quarter touchdown, but Jaylen Waddle’s reply kept Denver in contention. Kittle then turned a Purdy pass into a 56-yard touchdown with a little more than two minutes remaining, extending the advantage to 24-14. Purdy finished with 218 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Kittle caught four passes for 70 yards.

According to BBC Sport’s week-four report, Purdy remained without a sack through San Francisco’s opening four games and had thrown 11 touchdown passes against one interception. The 49ers joined Kansas City and Minnesota as the league’s three remaining unbeaten teams. The Chiefs survived a 30-27 game against Las Vegas, while the Vikings defeated Miami 15-10 with five Will Reichard field goals.