How Kyle Shanahan, 49ers can exploit Broncos, Patrick Surtain

Kyle Shanahan needs a bottle of white-out, so that he can erase No.15 from his play sheet this week.

Maybe Mike Evans is hurt.Maybe it’s not as bad as he let on leaving the field last week.For their part, the 49ers seemed confident that Evans’ rib injury wasn’t a major concern, even though it kept the 33-year-old out of practice this week and they signed Brandin Cooks to the active roster.

It’s not like Brock Purdy is itching to cross off yet another receiver from his list of potential targets.Either way, the 49ers’ misfortune could just end up working in their favor against the Broncos defense.And it doesn’t have to involve Evans as anything more than a decoy.Denver boasts arguably the top cover corner in the NFL.But that’s not much use if there’s nobody worth covering.If Evans plays, as anticipated, expect Patrick Surtain II to be glued to him all game.

And if he doesn’t? Are the Broncos going to get the most out of his talents shutting down Jordan Watkins?Surtain, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, has made his name — and four Pro Bowls — on shutting down any given opponent’s top receiver.He doesn’t often mess around with tight ends or running backs, where Shanahan possesses his most dangerous weapons.The Denver defense under coordinator Vance Joseph is far from a one-man show, but when it comes to neutralizing its best player, the 49ers may be uniquely well-positioned.Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle have been slowly revving into gear week by week and are primed to kick it up a notch as the Niners do their best to exploit the weak points in a unit that ranked in the top-three in yards and points allowed last season.“Vance is one of the toughest guys just because they can do anything front-wise, coverage-wise, pressure-wise,” Shanahan said.

“And then when you mix in their corners, their safeties, how they are with their pass rush, whether they come with four or five and their linebackers, it’s not a surprise they wer...