SF 49ers: Top 5 takeaways from Week 7 demolishing of Patriots

Takeaway No. 2: Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t need to air it out

Perhaps there’s an argument to be had Kyle Shanahan’s offense could be downright prolific if he had a quarterback capable of making those regular throws with accuracy beyond 20 yards.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t exactly asked to do this much in Week 7, as his NextGen Stats chart from the game indicates:

Indeed, Garoppolo tossed beyond 20 yards from the line of scrimmage only twice, and two of those were intercepted, albeit the deep Hail Mary at the end of the first half isn’t exactly something that should be measured against him.

In total, Jimmy G tossed 277 yards in his return to Gillette Stadium. But what’s crazy is 103 of those yards came from eight passes behind the line of scrimmage.

Some may use this argument against Garoppolo or at least cite it as evidence he’s merely the beneficiary of Shanahan’s scheme.

Perhaps.

But it’s also any quarterback’s job to get the ball to a receiver who can do something with it when it’s in his hands. And if the SF 49ers offense is predicated on creating yards after the catch, Garoppolo’s efforts from Week 7 are perfectly tailored to make it happen.