Jimmy Garoppolo debut: 49ers quarterback flashes poise, promise vs. Bears
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers finally started quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo against the Chicago Bears in Week 13. Niner Noise takes a look at how his debut went during the Niners’ 15-14 win.
Week 13 marked the beginning of a new era for the San Francisco 49ers, as newly minted starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo saw his first full game of action against the Chicago Bears, his boyhood team.
The Niners won the game 15-14 on a game-winning field goal by Robbie Gould with four seconds left in regulation.
Despite Garoppolo not throwing a touchdown during the contest, it’s pretty clear he’s providing a vast improvement over anything the 49ers enjoyed earlier this season.
San Francisco 49ers
Garoppolo’s stat line didn’t necessarily look impressive, at least the passer rating. After all was said and done, Garoppolo’s 82.4 passer rating with zero touchdowns against a lone interception looks pedestrian.
But that pick wasn’t on Garoppolo. His target, wide receiver Louis Murphy, had the ball stripped before hitting the ground by Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller.
Stats can be deceiving.
Yet the statistics also back up Garoppolo’s effectiveness on the field. On a day where San Francisco’s ground game averaged just 3.2 yards per carry, the offense still managed to effectively move the ball with relative ease.
Check out these stat comparisons:
- Total yards — SF: 388, CHI 147
- Time of possession — SF: 38:47, CHI: 21:09
- First downs — SF: 23, CHI: 8
Yeah, Garoppolo makes a difference.
New-Found Use of Existing 49ers Weapons
One of the things Niner Noise explored prior to Week 13 was how the offense could get slot wide receiver Trent Taylor more involved.
Related Story: 3 ways the 49ers can beat the Bears in Week 13
Taylor, who had no more than three targets in each of his last three games, was a huge factor for Garoppolo and the offense.
And so was No. 1 wideout Marquise Goodwin, as shown by these compiled stats from 49ers.com’s Joe Fann:
https://twitter.com/Joe_Fann/status/937422104374497297
Having two near-100-yard receivers is something the Niners haven’t enjoyed all season. One of the main components was head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense scheming guys to get open.
The other was Garoppolo.
Just check out this key reception by Taylor on third down with San Francisco trailing late in the fourth quarter:
This wasn’t the only one of Taylor’s big grabs. He was a key instrument on third downs. Notably, the Niners went 10-of-18 here (55.5 percent) despite entering the game with a 34.15-percent rate, which ranked 26th in the league.
Jimmy Garoppolo Poised Under Center
As noted earlier, it wasn’t a perfect game by Garoppolo by any means. San Francisco’s interior-offensive line protection wasn’t great, and Garoppolo took two sacks and five quarterback hits.
But one of the differences between Garoppolo and the guy he replaced, C.J. Beathard, was the former’s ability to successfully find targets at the right time.
More from Niner Noise
- Predicting 49ers NFL Draft picks by looking at final mocks
- DraftKings NFL Draft Promo – Win $150 Guaranteed on Any $5 Bet
- 2023 NFL Draft: EDGE Byron Young could be impact player for 49ers
- 5 low-key NFL Draft options for 49ers who are flying under the radar
- Updated 49ers salary cap space ahead of 2023 NFL Draft
Beathard, in comparison, had a knack for holding onto the ball for too long.
As a result, the Niners offense rarely looked like a cohesive unit.
Such wasn’t the case versus Chicago on Sunday, and the Niners can feel pretty good about their second win of the season.
It’s also worth considering Garoppolo wasn’t playing with Shanahan’s full playbook. The CBS broadcasting crew noted the quarterback was, perhaps, utilizing about only a third of it.
Next: 49ers vs. Bears: Live Week 13 thread for San Francisco
If we draw the trajectory line and assume the Niners both fix the O-line and allow Jimmy Garoppolo to both grow and develop, this offense could wind up being something worthwhile sooner than anyone could have expected.