SF 24 - LAR 16: A Relief
Jimmy Garoppolo bounces back and the 49ers improve to 3-3 behind one of Kyle Shanahan's best coaching performances ever.
(Santa Clara) - What a relief. The 49ers had been skidding for the past couple weeks, coming into tonight at 2-3, but when they needed a win most, they stepped up and delivered against one of the tougher divisional opponents in the NFL. In particular, Jimmy Garoppolo executed Kyle Shanahan’s gameplan masterfully, showcasing what this offense can do when healthy - to the tune of three first half TDs. And while the 49ers cooled off in the 2nd half, just managing a field goal in the 4th quarter, it did not matter - when needed, they delivered and got first downs. Kyle Shanahan’s gameplan centered around screen passes and getting the ball out early, and fast - and Garoppolo executed it well. While not exactly a challenging gameplan to execute, against a top 3 passing defense, do not toss away this performance. Impressive and in the face of massive pressure on a national stage like Sunday Night Football. This was big for his confidence, even if not a 100% and not throwing much downfield.
Robert Saleh also had one of his best coaching performances as a 49ers HC, shutting down the Rams offense in the 1st half and weathering the storm in the 2nd half - and nobody exemplified this better on the defensive side of the ball than Jason Verrett, who was sensational, showcasing the skills that made him a superstar corner nearly 5 years ago. A clutch interception, paired with Emmanuel Moseley’s triumphant return gave the 49ers the boost they needed vs. two great WRs in Kupp and Woods.
George Kittle caught 7 of his 10 targets for 109 yards and a TD, including a sensational 44 yard TD catch and run on a crucial 4th down in the 1st half.
Only 1 FTN writer picked the 49ers to win. 57% of 49ers fans picked the 49ers to win (on our Slack server) - the fans were right. This was a massive relief and gives the 49ers momentum going into the thick of this tough schedule. Time to step it up even more.
Positives:
Jason Verrett
Verrett likely had his best game as a 49er, and has proved that these last 3 games were no fluke - the 49ers kept their faith in Verrett, through the ups and downs, and finally, it has paid off in a massive way. Once Richard Sherman returns, Verrett will remain as the starter, and rightfully so. He has a 67.1 PFF grade on the season, well above average, and this game was his best. Verrett had 2 solo tackles, 2 passes defensed, and an interception for a touchback on 4th down - he was arguably the best 49ers defensive player. And it does not show up on the stat sheet fully, he made a number of players in pass coverage that were not recorded, but that clearly impacted the game.
Offensive Line
This was their best performance of the season, and it could not have come at a better time - the Rams defensive line with Samson Ebukam, Leonard Floyd, Michael Brockers, oh, and Aaron Donald was reduced to nothing in a masterful gameplan by Kyle Shanahan - paired with a good performance from the OL. Garoppolo was not sacked even once, and was only hit 3 times the entire night. In general, Garoppolo’s jersey was clean for most of the night - and it reflects what Garoppolo’s performance was.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Well then. While he did not exactly silence the detractors fully, it’s safe to say that Garoppolo has silenced any talk of a benching at the moment - he was outstanding in the 1st half and finished with a statline of:
23/33 for 268 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
However, there are some asterisks - one of the touchdowns was a simple toss to Deebo Samuel. And Garoppolo, while having a high yard total, did not attempt to throw downfield much at all - most of the yards were after catch. But that’s OK. The bottom line is, Jimmy did his job, even while he cooled off in the 2nd half. He keeps his streak of never losing consecutive regular season games - and it could not come at a better time vs. a divisional opponent.
The bottom line is: the 49ers silenced the detractors for the moment, and will take on a reeling Cam Newton and the Patriots next week - the 49ers should be smelling blood in the water, as their toughest in the league schedule feels much easier to look at after this win.
Score Summary:
1st Quarter:
15:00 - 49ers receive kickoff, Richie James Jr returns to the SF 24.
11:39 - Jimmy Garoppolo finds Deebo Samuel for 6 yard TD, extra point good.
2nd Quarter:
11:14 - Jimmy Garoppolo finds George Kittle for 44 yard TD, extra point is good.
9:03 - Jared Goff finds Robert Woods for 10 yard TD, extra point is NO good.
1:47 - Jimmy Garoppolo finds Brandon Aiyuk for 2 yard TD, extra point is good.
3rd Quarter:
12:06 - 42 yard FG by Samuel Sloman is GOOD.
4th Quarter:
5:26 - 49 yard FG by Robbie Gould is GOOD.
3:52 - Jared Goff finds Josh Reynolds for a 40 yard TD. Extra point is GOOD.
This article will be updated with details as they come in.
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Jimmy did what he was asked to do and executed the game plan. There were more drops than normal, with a couple by Kittle which is really unusual. Hold on to those and we're probably talking about an even bigger margin of victory. But right now that doesn't matter. The W in division and starting off "The Gauntlet" 1-0 is what matters.
If we can start getting more players back than go out, the Forty Niners will be the team nobody wants to see up next on their schedule!
What will undoubtedly be lost in all of this is how close disaster felt because of the refs nearly buttfumbling calls: a "fumble" after one of our RBs (I forget who) gave himself up, the "fumble" on Garoppolo's forward throw, etc. All the right calls were made, but boy howdy was I having panic attacks over the potential of the refs handing the ball to the Rams on the goal line for no reason.
As for the game, Verrett MVP, Warner and the O-Line were fantastic, and Garoppolo executed well. 'nuff said.