It may not have been Jimmy Garoppolo's most impressive game (then again, maybe it was, considering the gutsy performance), but the San Francisco 49ers quarterback overcame a two-interception and five-turnover performance on Sunday and helped lead his team to victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers.
The defense played a big part in the win, but the 49ers' team mentality means that credit doesn't go to one individual or unit. Credit for the 49ers' surprising 3-0 start to the season goes to the entire team.
"It's just resilience," cornerback Richard Sherman told reporters after the game. "It's growth. It's growth from offense, defense, special teams because it takes three units to win a ballgame, and that's what we did tonight. We showed that all three units had trust in one another. All three units picked one another up when the other fell apart, and that's why we were able to win the game."
Steve Wyche of NFL Network had a chance to speak with Sherman before the All-Pro cornerback stepped up to the podium. He complimented his quarterback, Garoppolo, who overcame mistakes and remained poised.
"That's championship football," Sherman told Wyche. "You have to be able to win ugly. You have to be able to win with everyone.
"Murphy's law. Everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong, and you have to find a way to get it done, and Jimmy G persevered. He doesn't let the turnovers bother him. He didn't let the fumble bother him. He doesn't let any of that distract him. He continues to play, and he got us down the field, and got us a great touchdown in the end."
#49ers QB @JimmyG_10 "persevered" in win vs. Steelers, says @RSherman_25. pic.twitter.com/DlCtytfGtN
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) September 23, 2019
Garoppolo admitted to being upset after the final turnover by the 49ers offense, but the quarterback has a lot of faith and confidence in his defense and never doubted that he might have a chance to get back onto the field.
"It was just more about getting our guys ready for the next series," Garoppolo said of the attitude on the sideline. "They make huge plays like that on defense; it sets us up for success."
The stats won't show it but that might have been Garoppolo's best game as a Niner. Constantly stood in the pocket and made good throws with pressure in his face, was able to extend several plays with his feet, and threw an absolute dime for the game-winning TD. #49ers
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) September 22, 2019
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was also impressed with Garoppolo's performance against the Steelers.
"I thought Jimmy played well," he said. "He was put in some tough situations with all the turnovers. I think he had two picks, but they seemed like pretty good throws. Just went off those guys' hands a little bit. But they came after us.
"It was very similar to Tampa, and anytime somebody does that, there's a lot of feast or famine. So, it's going to be tight every time. He hung in there, took some big hits, made some big throws, and when we did give him the time, he didn't miss much."
Wyche joined NFL Network on Monday and shared what he's heard from the 49ers about Garoppolo over the weekend.
"The people we are speaking to, the one thing we heard over and over is he is getting better week by week, and they talked about his actual game inexperience," Wyche said. "But the fact of what we saw yesterday has to be very encouraging to the 49ers. [...] The fact that he stood in the face of traffic. I mean, he was getting pelted over and over, and made some precise throws. That's got to be very encouraging."
Michael Silver, who was also at the game, believes the 49ers might have gotten away with the win but notes that they know Garoppolo will make mistakes as he grows into his role with the team.
"They can live with it, I believe, if they can continue to run the ball and play much better defense than the last year and the year before, which they are," Silver said.
