No matter how you want to spin last night's loss to the Denver Broncos, this one was solely on the quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo finished the game, completing 18 passes on 29 attempts for 211 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Statistically, Garoppolo was better than Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, but as Garoppolo says, stats don't matter. It's all about winning football games.
It's almost like 49ers fans are stuck in an episode of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone when Jimmy Garoppolo plays. One week you get this fired-up style of quarterback that appears willing to do whatever it takes to win a game, and then you have the incompetent type of quarterback that looks lost like a deer in headlights.
The first quarter of the game seemed promising. The 49ers were able to drive the ball down the field on their second drive of the game. It was a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive for the 49ers led by their quarterback. Starting on their 25-yard line, Garoppolo completed a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The next play was a 37-yard run by Jeff Wilson Jr., followed by a short pass completed to TE George Kittle for nine yards. It looked like the 49ers had found a rhythm, and we were driving the ball on a tough Broncos defense. On a second and goal, Garoppolo completed a three-yard pass to Aiyuk for the touchdown, giving the 49ers a 7-0 lead. The 49ers ended the half with four consecutive punt plays and led 7-3.
In the second half, one would've thought that head coach Kyle Shanahan could get back to his script and get Garoppolo and the offense back into a rhythm, right? On San Francisco's first second-half offensive series, UDFA rookie RB Jordan Mason had his first carry of the season for seven yards. On a second-and-eight, Garoppolo fumbled on the 50-yard line, and the Broncos recovered. At this moment, I realized Jimmy was going to be Jimmy. It was the first turnover of the game, and even though Garoppolo had been statistically better than Wilson, this was the moment you realized that the game might not favor the 49ers. The downward spiral began, and the real Jimmy Garoppolo stood out.
There were numerous incomplete passes—high, low, and behind his wide receivers. Even on some of Garoppolo's completed passes, the throws were inaccurate. He said in his presser that the team needed to find a rhythm.
The play that swung the game in favor of the Broncos wasn't a play made by their offense, defense, or special teams. It was a well-designed play that ended with Garoppolo stepping out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a safety and giving the Broncos two free points. Garoppolo also threw a pick-six on that same play, but the safety thankfully negated it. I guess it's safe to say that Garoppolo's footsteps saved that fantastic defensive play.
The 49ers lost 11-10 to the Denver Broncos in good old 49ers fashion.
San Francisco found ways to beat themselves again this season, and as for the starting quarterback—Jimmy is going to be Jimmy.