DENVER (AP) — Christian Ponder ran for a score and threw for another in the fourth quarter and San Francisco pulled away to beat the Denver Broncos 31-24 in an exhibition Saturday night.

Ponder was signed earlier in the week to bolster the team’s depth at quarterback.

Blaine Gabbert, trying to solidify his hold on the starting quarterback job in Colin Kaepernick’s absence, led a scoring drive and finished 6 of 9 for 69 yards in roughly a quarter and a half of play.

Kaepernick, who missed the first exhibition because of a sore right shoulder, resumed throwing in practice Thursday and is expected to begin fully participating in workouts next week in hopes of playing Friday against Green Bay.

Ponder, who was out of football last season, was added by the 49ers (1-1) after backup quarterback Thad Lewis suffered a season-ending knee injury in their exhibition opener against Houston last week. Ponder scored on a 22-yard bootleg and then completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Dres Anderson.

The Broncos (1-1), also in search of a quarterback after the retirement of Peyton Manning and free agency departure of Brock Osweiler, did not get a decisive performance from their contenders.

Trevor Siemian led a nifty game-opening touchdown drive that C.J. Anderson finished with a 19-yard run, but he also was picked off by Eric Reid, who returned the interception 42 yards for the score. Reid easily eluded Siemian’s attempt to tackle him near the goal line. Siemian was 10 of 14 for 75 yards.

Mark Sanchez, who started the Broncos’ exhibition opener last week, relieved Siemian and led a drive ending in a field goal but struggled overall, with three sacks and fumbling twice. He completed 10 of 17 for 120 yards and just missed having one of his throws intercepted by cornerback Chris Davis.

Paxton Lynch, the Broncos’ first-round draft pick, was the most productive among the three though he has primarily gotten third-team reps in training camp.

He threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to John Phillips late in the third quarter and another covering 4 yards to Durron Neal in the waning minutes. His final pass was intercepted in the last moments by cornerback Kenneth Acker.

ROOKIE WATCH

49ers: WR Bryce Treggs, an undrafted free agent out of Cal, caught a 25-yard pass from fellow rookie Jeff Driskel to help set up a second-quarter field goal. Treggs later left the game with a knee injury. WR Devon Cajuste, an undrafted free agent from Stanford, caught a 40-yard pass from Jeff Driskel in the third quarter.

Broncos: FB Andy Janovich, a sixth-round pick out of Nebraska, helped clear the way on Anderson’s first-quarter touchdown run by picking off a 49ers defender with his lead block on the play.

POSITION BATTLES

49ers: RB Mike Davis, in the mix for the right to back up starter Carlos Hyde, ran five times for 26 yards but also had two fumbles. … RB DuJuan Harris, also competing for a backup spot, appeared headed for the end zone late in the third quarter, but fumbled at the 1 and the ball was recovered in the end zone by the Broncos for a touchback.

Broncos: Rookie RB Devontae Booker, competing with Ronnie Hillman to be the primary backup to starter C.J. Anderson, ran nine times for 36 yards and also provided solid pass protection when asked to stay in and block on passing plays. Zaire Anderson, looking to add depth at inside linebacker and contribute on special teams, forced two fumbles.

INJURY UPDATE

49ers: LB Nick Bellore was sidelined by a knee injury in the third quarter. … DT Tony Jerod-Eddie was sidelined in the first half with a chest injury. … LB Eli Harold left late in the second quarter after hitting the ground hard at the bottom of a pileup. No announcement was made on the nature of his injury. … WR Bruce Ellington did not play because of an ankle injury. … DT DeForest Buckner, the first of the 49ers’ two first-round picks, was held out with a lower-body injury.

Broncos: T Darrion Weems left the game early in the second quarter with a concussion. … LB Corey Nelson left midway through the second quarter with a wrist injury. … DE Vance Walker, who tore his right ACL during a training camp practice earlier in the week, has been placed on season-ending injured reserve. … OLB DeMarcus Ware, continuing his recovery from back problems, missed a second exhibition game, but could begin practicing with the team as soon as next week.

Gurley, who was held out of exhibition games last season as a rookie while recovering from a torn ACL, rushed for 20 yards on four carries and scored on a 3-yard run.

With the Chiefs (0-2) holding out four defensive starters, including safety Eric Berry and linebacker Josh Mauga, the starting offensive line played four series and allowed Rams running backs Gurley, Benny Cunningham and Malcolm Brown to rush for 85 yards on 15 carries.

Case Keenum started at quarterback and led the Rams (2-0) to two touchdowns, going 4 of 5 for 53 yards with an 11-yard scoring pass to Pharoh Cooper before giving way to rookie Jared Goff.

The No. 1 overall draft pick mostly struggled for the second consecutive week despite working with the first-unit offensive line for two series. Goff lost a fumble after tripping over left guard Cody Wichmann and fumbled out of bounds while being sacked.

Goff’s first touchdown pass came on a 10-yard throw to Brown, who made a juggling catch to put the Rams ahead early in the fourth quarter. Goff played the entire second half and finished 8 of 12 for 82 yards.

Alex Smith was 9 of 12 for 137 yards and one touchdown, leading the Chiefs to 17 points on four possessions. Smith’s pump-fake on a 20-yard touchdown pass completely fooled two Rams defenders and allowed Jeremy Maclin to step into the end zone untouched.

Maclin and Rams cornerback Lamarcus Joyner were ejected with 44 seconds left in the first half after trading slaps to the head.

Referee Pete Morelli accidentally identified Joyner as playing for St. Louis, resulting in boos from the Coliseum crowd.

Jabriel Washington recovered quarterback Aaron Murray’s fumble at the Rams 23-yard line to seal the win. The Chiefs forced a three-and-out to get the ball back with 1:22 left, but Murray threw four incompletions to end the threat.

ROOKIE WATCH

Chiefs: D.J. White started at cornerback, working opposite last season’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Marcus Peters. The sixth-round pick from Georgia Tech was effective when blitzing, but had mixed results in coverage. White finished with one tackle.

Rams: The Rams loaded up on rookie wide receivers hoping to find complements to Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt, but are still waiting for someone to break through. Cooper scored on his only reception, while Paul McRoberts added one catch for 6 yards. Production is more likely to come from the tight ends Tyler Higbee, who did not play because of illness, and Temarrick Hemingway, who had a 26-yard reception from Goff.

POSITION BATTLES

Chiefs: Nick Foles was solid against his former team, going 18 of 22 for 133 yards. With Tyler Bray’ status uncertain after suffering a small chip fracture in his cervical spine last week against the Seattle Seahawks, Foles’ experience as a starter with the Rams and Philadelphia Eagles represents a significant upgrade behind Smith regardless of when the fourth-year quarterback from Tennessee is able to return.

Rams: With the secondary struggling again, cornerback E.J. Gaines’ first live action since suffering a foot injury in training camp last year was a welcome sign. Gaines finished with four tackles and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he started opposite Trumaine Johnson next week at Denver.

INJURY UPDATE

Chiefs: Fullback Trey Millard was taken off the field on a cart after suffering a left knee injury covering a punt. Millard previously tore the ACL in his left knee as a senior at Oklahoma.

Rams: Wide receiver Bradley Marquez suffered a right leg injury in the third quarter. Marquez did not appear to be able to put any weight on his leg as he was helped off the field.