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Quarterback Comparison: Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Andy Dalton

Week 2 presents a provocative quarterback comparison between the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo and the Bengals’ Andy Dalton.

On the surface, it would be weird to think Dalton currently leads the entire NFL in passing yards with 418, tossing two touchdowns and a passer rating of 106.5 in Week 1 against a tough Seahawks defense.

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Garoppolo, meanwhile, is coming off a relatively ugly performance in Tampa Bay, throwing for a mere 166 yards against another bad defense, the Buccaneers, with a touchdown and pick-six interception.

Does that trend continue in Week 2? Let’s take a look.

Jimmy Garoppolo

It’s important to remember Garoppolo just played his 11th NFL start last week, while also seeing his first four quarters since before tearing his ACL in Week 3 last season.

There’s rust, sure. Combined with the injury recovery, it makes some sense why Garoppolo struggled.

Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young thinks so, as he told KNBR 680 on Wednesday (h/t 49ers Webzone):

"Crossing routes to their left, you have to really open up and turn and torque over the top of your leg to get the ball actually on target. Even when you feel great, you’re behind a lot of the crossing routes away from your throwing hand. So that probably is a big factor. And then (throwing) high is always a factor, right? Because you can’t drive and then drop your knee and put the weight on it. That’s the part that makes the difference. High and the crossing routes, especially for him to the left."

Garoppolo frequently missed both high and wide in Week 1, so it will be interesting and crucial to see if the quarterback makes some needed adjustments in Cincinnati.

Andy Dalton

Dalton has surely been under the microscope the past few seasons, following his last Pro Bowl appearance back in 2016.

Now paired with the offensive-minded head coach, Zac Taylor, who stems from the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay coaching tree, one can imagine how the 31-year-old Dalton could have rediscovered some success.

Few quarterbacks like facing pressure. But a key element for getting to Dalton will be applying said pressure without using blitzes. According to Pro Football Focus, Dalton had passer ratings of 101.6 and 110.7 when blitzed in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

When simply pressured last year, Dalton’s passer rating fell to 70.1, compared to 96.8 without it.

One might guess, based off the stats, Dalton’s decision making struggles when his receiving targets are covered, meaning a fully healthy pass rush without the need of blitzes will be key for San Francisco.