49ers decade in review: Ranking the 15 most infamous moments

SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 19: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks tips the ball up in the air as outside linebacker Malcolm Smith #53 catches it to clinch the victory for the Seahawks against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2014 NFC Championship at CenturyLink Field on January 19, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

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Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

No. 15: Jimmy Garoppolo’s 2018 ACL Tear

2018 was supposed to be a season in which the revamped 49ers were going to legitimately compete for a playoff berth.

After all, the Niners had traded for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots the season before, and all he did was help lead the squad to five consecutive wins to close out 2017.

So why wouldn’t San Francisco fans pin their hopes on Jimmy G being the answer for the franchise in what looked to be an oh-so promising year?

Whatever the hopes were, they went awash in Week 3 of that season, as Garoppolo attempted to scramble along the boundary line against the Kansas City Chiefs, only to angle himself awkwardly and tearing his ACL in the process.

Just like that, the 49ers season was essentially over, and the team would go on to win just four games as a result.

It cost just one year, and Garoppolo has bounced back nicely since. But that particular injury can’t be left off the list of memories Niners fans would rather forget from the past decade.