The San Francisco 49ers dropped their season opener 24-16 to the Minnesota Vikings, which ended quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's seven-game win streak to start his NFL career.
It was never going to be easy for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers going up against the Minnesota Vikings and their top-ranked defense from a year ago -- a unit that only got stronger in 2018 by the additions of defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and safety George Iloka.
That said, Garoppolo did manage to lead the Niners offense down the field for a number of drives during San Francisco's 24-16 Week 1 loss on Sunday. But sloppy play, drops, shoddy offensive line play and some mistakes by Garoppolo ensured the 49ers weren't going to take advantage of being able to pull off a late comeback.
Garoppolo's line wasn't impressive. He was 15-of-33 for 261 yards with one touchdown against three interceptions. His passer rating? A mere 45.1.
The turnovers were problematic, although one of them -- a pick-six by rookie cornerback Mike Hughes -- wasn't entirely on Garoppolo. His receiving target, Kendrick Bourne, ran the wrong route and fell down on the inside cut and Hughes was able to react accordingly:
A pick-6 in the NFL debut from the @UCF_Football rookie!
We see you, Mike Hughes! #SFvsMIN pic.twitter.com/ztlC9241uJ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 9, 2018
Bourne later admitted the mistake.
Garoppolo's final interception, grabbed by All-Pro safety Harrison Smith in the waning seconds, was completely on Jimmy G, however.
"Anytime you throw an interception, it's always on the quarterback," Garoppolo told reporters following the game. "With all the things that went bad, we still had a shot at the end there. It's a tough way to end it."
The loss marked the first time Garoppolo has lost a game in his still-young NFL career. On one hand, it's good to get that point over with. And there's little wrong with a 7-1 start to a pro career anyway, especially if the loss comes against a Super Bowl contender in Minnesota.
San Francisco revealed why it's not quite at the level of a Super Bowl-caliber squad. While Garoppolo wasn't good on Sunday, his efforts weren't assisted by numerous drops (including three would-be touchdown passes) and some porous blocking up front, including an offensive line that suffered foot injuries to both guards Mike Person and Joshua Garnett.
"It was so frustrating and disappointing," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters following the game. "We blew a lot of opportunities, which you cannot do against a good team, especially on the road, which is why we came up short."
The Niners' ground game wasn't able to get much going either.
There were some positives, however, including this 22-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to rookie wide receiver Dante Pettis:
It's been a rough day for Jimmy G but this was a helluva toss. Dante Pettis great catch too. pic.twitter.com/BEA3EAiWVj
— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) September 9, 2018
"He made a great catch on it," Garoppolo said of Pettis' efforts that play.
That was one of Pettis' two grabs on the day, the other being a 39-yard catch in the fourth quarter that eventually lead to a 49ers field goal.
San Francisco's second field goal of the game highlighted more red-zone woes from Garoppolo and Co. Overall on the day, the Niners were a mere 1-of-4 in red-zone drives, and the game would have had a vastly different outcome had the 49ers converted on just one of those three other attempts.
"Those are plays we need to make," tight end George Kittle said in the locker room following the game. "If we make those plays, it's a totally different outcome."
Yes, for sure. But Garoppolo was still a bit sloppy, as was the majority of San Francisco's offense. Remove only a few of the mistakes, and this game would have been vastly different.
But that's why the 49ers aren't quite there yet, and they'll look to right the ship between now and their Week 2 matchup against the Detroit Lions back at Levi's Stadium.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
