The San Francisco 49ers have scored 57 second-half points this season.

To put that in perspective, as a team, the Denver Broncos have only scored 60 total points in 12 quarters of play thus far. We know that Denver's offense has struggled to get rolling early in games, but San Francisco's 57 second-half points illustrate the enormity of the challenge facing Vance Joseph's defense this week.

Joseph has been under the gun, tasked with matching wits with Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy, Liam Coen, and Sean McVay, and now he has to come up with answers for Kyle Shanahan. The counterpunch Shanahan can deliver coming out of the half can be devastating.

"Yeah, it’s always a challenge. Obviously, Sean [McVay]’s a great play-caller. That game Sunday night, that was high-level football on both sides," Joseph said on Thursday. "And obviously, Kyle, he’s one of the best also. Kyle is the best halftime adjustment coach I’ve ever coached against."

Joseph is a long-time NFL coaching veteran, so what he said about Shanahan's second-half prowess is conspicuous. Joseph and the Broncos' defense will have to be on their toes on Sunday at Levi Stadium.

"The first half can be this, and the second half is going to be totally different. So he is going to adjust quickly, and that we know about Kyle," Joseph said. "He has good players, he has a good quarterback, he has a fabulous runner, good receivers. So I expect Kyle to have his best plan starting the game and, obviously, as the game proceeds, to adjust quickly."

An Impressive Counterpunch of His Own

Preparing for a Shanahan offense is daunting, but Joseph is no slouch when it comes to making halftime adjustments. Joseph's counterpunch against the Los Angeles Rams last week was a great example of the defensive coordinator's adjustment savvy.

Joseph brought unique coverage and blitz looks at McVay's offense, stopping the run and confounding Matthew Stafford. Joseph's adjustments led to Stafford losing his cool at times, and throwing two fourth-quarter interceptions, both of which ended up being arguably the two biggest plays of the game that swung things in Denver's favor.

Talanoa Hufanga picked Stafford off midway through the fourth quarter, returning it 67 yards to the house for a pick-six. The Rams bounced back, answering with a touchdown drive to retake the lead.

Fortunately, Nix and the Broncos' offense was able to put together one last scoring drive, going 65 yards to punch in the final go-ahead touchdown. But Stafford still had 42 seconds to march down the field and try to overcome the four-point deficit.

On the last play of the game, though, Stafford dropped back to pass from the Broncos' 19-yard line and fired the ball to the end zone, only to be picked off again by Hufanga to seal Denver's massive comeback win.

I recount this recent history to show how some of Joseph's best work also comes in the second half. Under Sean Payton, the Broncos have been a second-half team, and they'll need to bring some of that clutch-time magic with them to Santa Clara, California, if they're going to upset the undefeated 49ers.

Containing Christian McCaffrey

Shanahan's top weapon remains McCaffrey, a running back Broncos Country knows well. McCaffrey is just as adept and dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield as he is as a runner with the ball in his hands.

Joseph's defense currently ranks near the bottom of the league against the run, so the Broncos will have to galvanize if they want to contain McCaffrey this week. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy loves looking McCaffrey's way on third down and in the red zone.

"He’s still playing really well, not just in the running game but in the passing game. I think on third downs, he’s a leading receiver in the first couple of breaks," Joseph said of McCaffrey. "So that’s always tough, to have a plan to cover a runner on third downs. But again, they do a great job with scheme to free him up and to get him on those matchups they like. So it’s our job to find the right matchup and have the right calls intact to leverage him."

Oh, and by the way, big Mike Evans is banged up, but the 49ers brought Deebo Samuel back this past offseason, and he's been playing well at wide receiver, with 159 yards and two touchdowns already. The 49ers like to line Samuel up in the backfield, send him in motion, and also put him out wide; it's another weapon the Broncos must have a plan for, regardless of whether Evans plays.

"With bringing Deebo back to San Fran, they do a great job of swapping those guys. Deebo’s the halfback sometimes, he’s the receiver," Joseph said. "So to adjust your coverages and adjust your fronts accordingly to those formations is going to be key for us to win this game. But it goes through him, obviously, and he’s a fabulous player."

The Takeaway

Shanahan is playing with a full arsenal of weaponary this season. The 49ers were the NFL's best offense in September, but the Broncos are hoping to set them on a new course as October gets rolling.

The 49ers rank in the top 10 in all 11 of the top offensive statistical areas through three weeks, including No. 1 yards per play, third-down, and red-zone efficiency. And they're the NFL's second-ranked scoring offense.

The Broncos' defense, statistically, is nowhere close to top 10 currently. But Joseph has had to contend with a brutal initial schedule.

Some of the common denominators of the NFL's top teams are high-quality coaching and quarterback play and efficient offense. That's what the Broncos will have to contend with this weekend, but they put the brakes on the Jacksonvillue Jaguars and stymied Stafford and the Rams, so it'll be interesting to see what Joseph cooks up against the 49ers.

One thing we know for sure, though: Joseph must be ready for Shanahan's elite second-half counterpunch.

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