49ers film room: Breaking down Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Bengals

What Jimmy Garoppolo Did Well in Week 2

The 49ers had some issues getting their running game going in Week 1 in Tampa. But that surely wasn’t the case in Cincinnati, as the Niners chalked up a whopping 259 rush yards over the course of the game.

And when the running game is on point, play action can be, too. Jimmy Garoppolo thrives in this, and he did so again last Sunday, as pointed out by Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Deeney:

Granted, San Francisco had yet to totally establish the run on its first offensive possession. But that didn’t stop Garoppolo’s play-action efforts from being effective.

Take a look at the clip below, showing Garoppolo’s 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marquise Goodwin:

This is a 1st-and-10 play, and the 49ers are showing run with fullback Kyle Juszczyk as the lead blocker in the I-formation. But the beauty of this play is Goodwin, who is in the slot at the upper portion of the screen.

Goodwin will cut in within the box, suggesting a run block, only to slip away after crossing the left hash marks and into a wide-open part of the field.

Easy touch for Garoppolo. And all but two of the Bengals defenders bit on the play fake.

Kyle Shanahan gets a lot of credit for this, giving Garoppolo perhaps the easiest read he’ll ever get.

But Garoppolo needs to get some credit for standing in the face of pressure later in the game, which culminated in a surprising 39-yard touchdown pass off a screen to running back Raheem Mostert:

This is a hot-read situation for Garoppolo. Bengals nickel cornerback B.W. Webb comes in off a blitz, having what appears to be a free run at the quarterback after no one picks him up.

Or so you thought.

Mostert appeared to miss the block, but he’s actually the hot receiver in this play. Staring into the charging Webb, Garoppolo does the right thing by throwing into the blitz, where there’s one less defender.

Considering Garoppolo is still shaking off the rust and nerves from his 2018 ACL tear, staying cool under this pressure is a good thing. That’s a good sign for those wondering how Garoppolo would respond to being pressured.

Mostert, meanwhile, did the rest.