San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo may have proved to his critics that he can carry the offense — and the team — when asked to do so. Just put the football and the game in his hands.
That's what head coach Kyle Shanahan did on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, and his quarterback delivered.
Garoppolo completed 74.3 percent of his passes for 349 yards with four touchdowns, an interception, and a 131.7 passer rating against the Saints. He showed he could carry the team by leading the 49ers offense on a seven-play drive with 53 seconds remaining to set up kicker Robbie Gould for the game-winning field goal.
Kyle Brandt of "Good Morning Football," who has been a big supporter of Garoppolo, has no more doubts.
"Garoppolo is a real thing," Brandt said Monday morning. "It is not a flash in the pan. He's not OK, kind of pretty boy. No. He is great. He looked Drew Brees in the eyes and beat him. It was awesome."
The 49ers beat the Saints 48-46 and improved their record to 11-2, regaining the top spot in the NFC playoff standings.
"They are the one seed," Kay Adams said. "They are the best team in the NFC. That's what I learned. I want to see that rematch, like ASAP, between them and the Baltimore Ravens."
Adams went on to point out that Brees and the Saints "brought it," and the 49ers matched them blow-for-blow.
"This wasn't a 'Does Drew Brees have it anymore?' game that they won," Adams added. "They won with Drew Brees on his 'A' game, and they beat him in his building. Wild."
Next up for San Francisco? The team will host back-to-back home games against the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams before finishing the regular season in Seattle with a rematch against the Seahawks.