After the 0.0 passer rating performance Garoppolo had against the Denver Broncos, one poor decision in an otherwise impressive outing is allowed. And you know which pass I'm talking about. It was the one Garoppolo aired out toward wide receiver Dante Pettis near the goal line into triple coverage.
Luckily, a defender didn't come away with the football. Still, it could have been a black mark on Garoppolo's otherwise stellar night. It's likely the play people would have talked about since Saturday night, had the football been intercepted.
"He shouldn't have thrown into triple coverage in that situation," head coach Kyle Shanahan said via a conference call on Sunday afternoon. "We were fortunate not to have a pick. I'd like Dante to go up and try to make more of an attempt to catch it, but that's a ball that should never leave his hands."
Garoppolo had a slightly different perspective on the decision, saying that had the game been during the regular season, he never would have made that throw.
"A bit part of that is it still being preseason," Garoppolo said on the "Tolbert, Krueger and Brooks" show. "Or in practice, you try things like that. You know during a real game, you wouldn't make that throw or that decision specifically."
Garoppolo also wanted to make it clear that he is also building trust between himself and his receivers. Pettis, for example, has only played three games with Garoppolo. The quarterback has only played eight games total with the 49ers. There is still a lot of chemistry to be built.
"There's a trust factor between quarterback and whether it's receiver, tight end, running back, whoever is catching the ball," Garoppolo said. "The more you try those things, you see who's going to make the play for you in the crucial situation.
"If you put it in a good spot for them to make a play, you expect them to make a play. They expect you to give them a chance to make the play. So I think it works both ways, just them trusting me, me trusting them, and that comes with reps."
You can listen to the entire interview with Garoppolo below.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers' Kyle Shanahan shifts focus to regular season: "It's going to get real, real fast"
The 2026 NFL preseason is in the books, and the San Francisco 49ers finished their exhibition schedule with an 18-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, the focus shifts to the regular season, with San Francisco set to face the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, in Week... -
49ers have a 'real legit plan' in place for Nick Bosa, says Raheem Morris
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was among the nine players who did not practice on Tuesday. However, general manager John Lynch revealed during a radio interview earlier in the day that Bosa plans to participate on Wednesday before the team travels to... -
49ers final preseason takeaways: O-Line, RB and WR competitions come into focus
In the final preseason game, while I was most interested in the interior of the offensive line, the competition among numerous position groups was on full display. How much various players played (or did not play) was telling. Let's take a look at some of those position... -
49ers' John Lynch details what went into complicated Australia travel plans
The San Francisco 49ers will travel to Melbourne, Australia, this week ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. The lengthy journey has required extensive planning and some difficult decisions, as the trip represents somewhat uncharted territory for the...