The San Francisco 49ers are probably going to take a beating from the media this week after the team suffered its first loss of the season. The Seattle Seahawks went into Levi's Stadium for the heavyweight bout against one of the best defenses in the league and came away with the 27-24 overtime win.
It was the 49ers' opportunity to finally silence the last of their doubters. It was Jimmy Garoppolo's opportunity to show that he can be an elite quarterback who can carry a team on his shoulders and guide it to a win, if needed.
None of that happened.
Peter King of NBC Sports called it one of the best games in Monday Night Football history and the NFL's game of the year. That means it will likely be talked about and replayed for years to come, which might not be what 49ers fans want to hear.
Aside from ESPN giving too much screen time to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, King was also critical of Garoppolo's performance against the Seahawks. The 49ers quarterback finished the game completing just 52.2 percent of his passes for 248 yards with a touchdown and an interception. And he was very lucky he walked away with just one interception on the stat sheet.
"At one point, I remember looking up at the TV, and I said, 'I cannot remember Jimmy Garoppolo playing with happy feet like this,'" King told Mike Florio and Chris Simms of NBC Sports. "Look, this is whatever, like his 18th NFL start, so we don't really know him yet, but that was a bad night for Jimmy Garoppolo and for 49ers fans who want to love him, who want to have faith in him."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked after the game about his quarterback's performance.
"I think like the whole offense, I thought he battled," Shanahan said. "I thought he battled very hard, hung in the pocket for a while. I thought he made some big plays, but I know he made a number of plays he'd like to have back."
The 49ers shift focus to their next opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, who they host on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
