SANTA CLARA — They didn’t finish strong, but they finished.
After leading 20-0 at halftime, the 49ers held on to beat the Denver Broncos 20-14 Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium. The win wasn’t pretty, but it was impressive.
The 49ers had nothing to play for. They’re eliminated from the playoffs, their record is 3-10 and they’ve blown four fourth-quarter leads this season. But they didn’t blow this one. They played hard for head coach Kyle Shanahan and did just enough during the first half to win.
The Broncos had everything to play for. They’re in playoff contention, their record is 6-7 and, coming into Sunday’s game, they were merely one game behind the Baltimore Ravens for an AFC Wild Card spot and had won three games in a row.