Jimmy Garoppolo unequivocally failed in his first test as QB1 for the 49ers this season.
The missed touchdown to Deebo Samuel. The fumbled snap. The safety that coulda been a pick six. The interception. The sacks. The horrendous loss. To Russell Wilson, to make it worse.
In a ‘Sunday Night Football’ stinker, the Denver Broncos emerged with an 11-10 win in a game that featured 17 punts and some very sloppy play from both sides. As if the 49ers needed more salt in the wound, All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams had to exit the game with a high ankle sprain after getting his right leg whipped by a defender.
Despite all the ugly play, Jimmy G and the 49ers had a pair of chances in the final minutes of the game to take the lead. Both drives ended in turnovers. Still, he was smiling when dapping it up with Broncos lineman Cameron Fleming after the game.
It’s worth noting that Garoppolo and Fleming were part of the New England Patriots’ 2014 draft class, so they went through their rookie seasons together. It must have been a nice moment for Jimmy G, personally, but it sure seemed like he moved on quickly after going 18-of-29 for 211 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a fumble in the loss. Not to mention a safety that made Dan Orlovsky proud.
Perhaps it was no surprise to see Wilson lead his team to a comeback, as he now totes a 17-4 record against the Niners for his career.
Wilson put the Broncos ahead by 1 with 4:10 remaining by orchestrating a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Jimmy G and the Niners took over with three timeouts, but he threw into double coverage trying to find Deebo Samuel and it led to a pick. He got sacked near the goal line on the following drive with 1:42 remaining, before Jeff Wilson Jr. fumbled the ball away to seal the game.
Garoppolo didn’t even complete a pass in the third quarter as the 49ers offense sputtered. Garoppolo didn’t take much personal accountability for the ‘L’ after the game, either.
"Altogether it was just a sloppy day,” Garoppolo said. “I think we only really had one clean drive. We got points off of it. Other than that, the defense kept us in the game. Overall, just a sloppy day."
When asked again if he – Jimmy Garoppolo – personally felt “sloppy” in the second half, the quarterback kept using ‘we.’
“I just thought altogether, we were just not in rhythm,” Garoppolo said. “We started off pretty good, too. I felt like we were in a rhythm early and we just got away from it. Things didn’t go our way.”
As the quarterback, Garoppolo might need to publicly take some more blame for his poor performances. He sounded like a guy making excuses to reporters afterwards.
“We were talking about it on the sideline,” Garoppolo said. “Just thinking about it, it was kinda my first week with these guys and I just gotta get in a rhythm with them. Especially on third down, we were terrible today. I just gotta get on the same page with those guys.”
This, coming from a guy who told reporters how taking over for Lance in Week 2 “felt like riding a bike.” Lance’s reign as QB1 lasted a whopping five quarters.
It also sounds like Garoppolo’s arm isn’t 100 percent, after he missed organized team activities and training camp this summer while his post-shoulder surgery saga played out with the 49ers.
“My arm’s feeling it right now,” Garoppolo said Sunday night. “It’s different. You try to do all the practice and preparation you can on the sidelines, being a No. 2, then when you get tossed into it. I didn’t go through OTAs or training camp. I’m not trying to make excuses or anything, I just gotta get in game shape and get rolling now.”
Not an excuse, ya say?
Garoppolo made an extra $250,000 Sunday by playing in more than 25 percent of the 49ers’ offensive snaps. He got to see his old friend after the game. Still, that smile just seemed out of place after such a bad loss. His accountability has been called into question before, too, and his answers Sunday didn’t do much to quell those concerns.
There’s only 14 more weeks left in the regular season, folks. It could be a long one for the 49ers if Jimmy G can’t turn around the offense.
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