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While the Vegas oddsmakers may have slightly favored the San Francisco 49ers, the Tennessee Titans saw Sunday's matchup as a very winnable game. After all, the Titans came into the game with eight victories and entrenched within the AFC playoff picture. Their opponent had just three wins and started the season by losing nine consecutive games.
What a difference a quarterback makes. Since Jimmy Garoppolo has taken over as the starting signal caller, the 49ers have won three straight and, as a team, have now won four of their last five. They are a drastically improved team and finally have a franchise player to build around.
During his three starts, Garoppolo has completed 77 of his 113 pass attempts for 1,008 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Against Tennessee, he passed for a single-game career-high 381 yards, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 106.8.
Despite the impressive performance from Garoppolo, who has started just five games during his NFL career but won each of them, one Titans player didn't want to give the quarterback too much credit. Instead, he feels much of Garoppolo's success was due more to the defense's failures than the quarterback's skill.
"It was us," said Titans cornerback Brice McCain. "He came in, he executed, but the chunk of yardage came from blown coverages. That's about it. He didn't do anything special. He threw a lot of quick game, get the ball to the receiver's hands fast, and they made plays. That's about it. It was nothing special. He didn't do anything special. He just threw to open guys."
In Garoppolo's defense, throwing to the "open guys" is kind of the job of a quarterback.
Many of McCain's teammates had a different opinion of Garoppolo after facing him for the first time and acknowledged the quarterback's impressive play.
"He is a good player. He is one hell of a player," said Titans safety Kevin Byard. "I think the 49ers got themselves a quarterback. We gave them a lot of plays, a whole lot of plays. I give him credit, but we gave up a lot of plays today for sure."
"He played great," said tight end Delanie Walker, who spent seven years with the 49ers. "He came out there and did a good job."
One aspect of Garoppolo's play that was on display is his quick release of the football. It's an attribute that is frustrating to the defensive linemen who are trying to bring him down.
"It is super frustrating," said Titans defensive tackle Jurell Casey. "We have to find a way to get him down. We have to find a way to mess up his vision. We did not do that today."
Even Titans head coach Mike Mularkey praised the 49ers quarterback when asked about him following the Titans' devastating loss.
"A lot of pinpoint throws," said Mularkey. "A lot of very catchable throws, very tough to defend throws. I thought he made a lot of plays out of the pocket. He made a lot of plays for that offense."
* Quotes courtesy of the 49ers Communications staff.
Despite initial reports, two draft prospects who were set to visit the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft ultimately did not meet with the team. Matt Barrows of The Athletic revealed that former USC wide receiver Brenden Rice and former Oregon safety Jamal Hill didn't end up visiting the Bay Area organization.
Barrows wrote, "Meanwhile, a report in March indicated that USC receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, would visit the 49ers, but he didn't end up coming, according to two league sources."
Justin Melo of The Draft Network first
Analyst Steve Palazzolo unveiled a first-round mock draft for Pro Football Focus, attempting to forecast the selections for each NFL team within the top 32 picks. While the San Francisco 49ers concentrated on strengthening the defensive line in free agency, Palazzolo envisions the team continuing to fortify that side of the ball.
In his mock draft, Palazzolo predicts that the 49ers will select former Iowa State cornerback T.J. Tampa with the No. 31 overall pick.
"Tampa's unique fluidity and size for a cornerback make him worthy of a top-75 pick," reads the analysis from Pro Football Focus' big board. "If he can clean up his footwork, he can
Analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic grades former Iowa State cornerback T.J. Tampa as a second or third-round draft pick and ranks him 55th overall on his big board. Pro Football Focus, however, holds a higher opinion of the young defensive back. In his latest mock draft, the site's lead analyst, Sam Monson, has the San Francisco 49ers selecting Tampa with the No. 31 overall pick.
"T.J. Tampa fits the prototype of a 49ers cornerback," Monson explains. "He has had consecutive seasons of very impressive play and allowed just 240 yards on 49 targets last season. The team doesn't necessarily need him to make an immediate impact, but they could
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
