No. 3: SF 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo can bounce back after Week 1
Let’s get this one out of the way right away: Jimmy Garoppolo should easily be able to put last week’s questionable efforts behind him and thrive upon a bad Jets pass defense in Week 2.
To put things into context, Garoppolo’s efforts in Week 1 a year ago against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t great either: 18-of-27 for 166 yards, one touchdown against one interception and a passer rating of 80.2. What won the game for San Francisco was its defense, picking off quarterback Jameis Winston three times and returning two of those for defensive scores.
Heading into Week 2 this year, a number of factors suggest Garoppolo can bounce back nicely.
Sure, he has to be better at getting the ball out, not holding onto it for an average of 2.83 seconds like he did versus the Cardinals. But the Jets don’t exactly boast a prolific pass rush, applying pressure in Week 1 just 19.2 percent of dropback attempts from Buffalo, which ranked 19th in the league.
Furthermore, where Garoppolo can find some help and solace, out of the 306 total yards the Jets surrendered through the air last Sunday, 133 of them came after the catch.
That’s where Garoppolo and the SF 49ers offense thrives.