3 overreactions from SF 49ers Week 6 win vs. LA Rams

SF 49ers Overreaction No. 2: Jimmy Garoppolo is back, baby!

Well, sort of.

Jimmy Garoppolo was pretty darned good on Sunday night, finishing his evening with a 23-of-33 mark for 268 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 124.3.

In contrast to his disastrous one half of efforts in Week 5 against the Dolphins, which prompted all kinds of questions about his long-term abilities and fit underneath Kyle Shanahan, it was refreshing to get quite the bounceback game Jimmy G fans wanted to see.

But what puts this in the overreaction category is twofold. First, Shanahan helped make Garoppolo’s life easier by giving him an array of short- and intermediate-area passes throughout the first half — a trend which didn’t change much into quarters three and four, as shown by NextGen Stats:

High-percentage plays and getting the ball out quickly was effective, particularly against a Rams defense that was tied for the league lead in sacks (20) entering the game.

But Garoppolo’s life was made far less easy in the second half following running back Raheem Mostert‘s exit with an ankle injury. That largely thwarted San Francisco’s ground game and all but negated play action, which is an area in which Garoppolo thrives.

Second, Garoppolo still had his handful of boneheaded throws, including a near-interception intended for wide receiver Trent Taylor at the goal line. Had it been picked by L.A.’s defense, it easily could have been a 98-yard pick-six interception.

Fortunately, it fell incomplete.

Garoppolo was fantastic in Week 6, especially during the first half. But there’s still a lot left to prove.