Jimmy Garoppolo couldn’t have started off Thursday night’s game in Tennessee any better. He completed his first eight passes for 104 yards and led an impressive touchdown drive on the contest’s opening series, before driving them down to the 8-yard line the next possession.
Then – poof. Jackrabbit Jenkins picked him off in the end zone. It marked the first of several self-inflicted wounds for Garoppolo and the 49ers, as they left a potential 6 points on the field.
Those points could have helped down the stretch, but instead they had to watch as Randy Bullock sneaked a 44-yard field goal through the uprights with 4 seconds left to give the Titans a 20-17 victory.
"It's a tough one, it is," Garoppolo said. "A game like that, short week, had a little momentum behind us. It's a tough one. Got to take your lumps and move on from it. We just didn't do enough tonight."
Garoppolo led the 49ers on an eight-play, 95-yard, game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter but was snakebit by earlier mistakes in the game. Early in the second quarter, he missed a wide-open Kyle Juszczyk down the right sideline for what could have easily been a 40-yard touchdown. Jimmy G also threw a third-quarter duck that resulted in an interception and should have had another, but it slipped through linebacker Rashaan Evans’ hands.
The 49ers carried a 10-0 lead into the locker room at hafltime, but it easily could have been 21-0.
"We left a lot of plays out there, obviously," said George Kittle, who was targeted on the end zone interception.
In all, Garoppolo finished 26-of-35 for 322 yards, a touchdown and two picks. It’s not the worst line in the world, but the misses were costly. The 49ers signal-caller has been solid over the past eight weeks, since leading the team to a road win in Chicago, but Thursday night’s errors ultimately outweighed his good work.
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“Two turnovers cost you,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “But they're not all just on him. That’s on everybody out there. … After that [second] pick, I didn’t think he played bad.”
Garoppolo wasn’t alone in making miscues. Late in the third quarter, Trent Williams committed a key false start penalty on a 4th-and-1 at the Tennessee 35. Garoppolo threw a short incompletion to Brandon Aiyuk on the next play for a turnover on downs. In the fourth, the Niners had momentum in Titans territory before an Alex Mack holding call and a subsequent sack stalled the drive.
The 49ers fell to 8-7 and will get some much needed rest following the short week and cross-country trip for a road game. Despite the loss, Kittle said he still has a high level of confidence in the 49ers.
"Damn high," Kittle said. "I really believe in this team. I think we got playmakers all over the field. I don't want to say it's a blessing in disguise, but we have our backs against the wall now. We have to win. I think this is a group that's resilient and I think it's a group that's going to come back to work."
Judging from the comments on the 49ers' postgame press conference YouTube stream, many fans are clamoring for rookie Trey Lance to replace Jimmy G. But don't expect Shanahan to change course in Week 16. He has been steadfast in his support of Garoppolo this season, and the 49ers are still 5-2 in their past seven contests. It also doesn't make much sense to throw a rookie into the middle of a playoff race to get his feet wet. Barring injury, Garoppolo will probably remain the man under center as the 49ers make their playoff push.
