3 things Jimmy Garoppolo must achieve in 49ers bout vs. Lions

Devon Kennard #42 of the Detroit Lions puts pressure quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Devon Kennard #42 of the Detroit Lions puts pressure quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2: Jimmy Garoppolo must complete two-thirds of his attempts

Passing touchdowns are cool and all. But Week 1 might prove to be the example where head coach Kyle Shanahan gives his running backs, including fullback Kyle Juszczyk, some early season end-zone glory on the ground.

Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t have to go out and manage three or four touchdown passes. Heck, none would be alright as long as the bulk of his drives were ending in scores, and preferably not those resulting in field-goal tries.

What’s going to be more important is his accuracy.

Related Story: FanSided predicts Jimmy Garoppolo starts all 17 games in 2021

During the preseason, and certainly for much of last year when he was healthy, Garoppolo’s tendency to throw over or even behind his receivers was notably apparent. While his receivers sometimes were able to haul in those passes, the ability to hit targets in the hands or squarely in the numbers should be one of Jimmy G’s primary focal points this game.

Especially against a suspect Detroit secondary that’ll likely have a tough time maintaining tight coverage.

There are few quantifiable ways to determine how accurate Garoppolo is with his throw location. But netting at least 66 percent of his pass attempts into successful catches should be a primary goal.

Even if one or two of those tosses is slightly off the mark but nevertheless hauled in.