Jimmy G did it. And Kyle Shanahan should feel vindicated.
The 49ers turned around their season with a win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10. On Sunday, they turned around the game at halftime and earned a postseason bid in dramatic fashion. Despite falling in an early 17-0 hole, Garoppolo led the 49ers to a 27-24 win Sunday in overtime to salvage a season on the brink.
The stakes were simple for the 49ers: Win and they were in the playoffs. But through the first 30 minutes of play at SoFi Stadium, San Francisco looked like it would be couch-bound by the end of the day.
Robbie Gould eked in a field goal right before intermission to save the 49ers from a first-half shutout. Then the 49ers turned it on in the second half, Garoppolo led an impressive two-minute drive in regulation and the defense sealed the deal with a pick in overtime.
The 49ers are heading to football’s big dance.
“Our guys are really resilient,” Kyle Shanahan said. “I’ve been very proud of them. I’m just glad that we get to go into the tournament. Regardless of what happened today, I was going to be very proud of these guys.”
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Shanahan and the 49ers, who looked like they were staring down the barrel of a fourth losing season earlier this year. When these two teams last met in Week 10, the 49ers entered with a 3-5 record and as 4-point underdogs. But they pulled out a 31-10 win and have been rolling since.
As many clamored for Shanahan to make the quarterback switch from Garoppolo to rookie Trey Lance throughout the season, the coach stayed loyal to his veteran. Now Shanahan looks vindicated after Garoppolo led the 49ers to a 5-2 record in his final seven starts of the season.
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Shanahan had a tough decision to make this Sunday, as Garoppolo battled through a torn ligament and small fracture in his right (throwing) thumb all week. Lance showed good flashes while leading the 49ers to a Week 17 win, but Shanahan rolled the dice with Jimmy G. And he delivered.
“It got better as it went,” Garoppolo said. “Honestly, with injuries like that, your body is just learning and adapting the whole time. Early on it was pretty numb, but then it felt better and better as it went. I think my arm just kind of learned how to adapt to it.”
Facing a seven-point deficit with just 93 seconds left, 88 yards away from the goal line, Garoppolo led the Niners on a swift five-play scoring drive that resulted in Jauan Jennings’ game-tying touchdown from 14 yards out. Jimmy G finished 23-of-32 for 316 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in arguably his biggest regular-season performance ever.
“It was one of those games that you won’t forget any time soon,” Garoppolo said.
Garoppolo and the Niners nearly won it with a touchdown drive to start overtime, but settled for a 24-yard Gould field goal before Ambry Thomas' interception iced the game.
The 49ers finished the regular season 10-7 and needed to win Sunday, as the 9-8 New Orleans Saints were nipping at their heels and took care of business with a 30-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons. But the Niners left the Saints on the outside looking in.
With the victory, the 49ers have now won six straight contests against the Rams. It seems that Shanahan holds a hex over his friend and Rams coach Sean McVay, as the 49ers were the first team in 46 tries to top one of McVay's teams which was leading at halftime.
San Francisco has secured the NFC’s No. 6 seed and will face the No. 3-seeded Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round. It marks Shanahan’s second trip to the playoffs, the other coming in 2019 when he led the Niners to the Super Bowl. And he can thank Jimmy G for getting him there. In all, Garoppolo has a 9-6 record as a starter this season.
