Jimmy Garoppolo: What 49ers QB did right, wrong vs. Cardinals in Week 9

How Jimmy Garoppolo played well in 49ers loss vs. Cardinals

Jimmy Garoppolo might not be capable of carrying San Francisco’s offense. And there have been plenty of times where he’s been abysmal this season.

The last two weeks, however, have revealed a different story. At least according to Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Deeney:

Completing 70 percent of passes will do that, of course. So will passing for more than 300 yards.

But let’s take a look at some of the specifics.

Jimmy Garoppolo was effective enough beyond 10 yards

One of the knocks against Garoppolo is his inability to push the ball well down the field. And while passes beyond 20 yards aren’t his forte, getting into that intermediate range of 10 to 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage is where he can be the most effective.

Take a look at his Week 9 passing chart from Next Gen Stats, which shows a total of 11 completions out of 19 attempts beyond that point:

Head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted after the game how the Cardinals were using six defensive linemen a lot during the game, opening the door for the high-volume passing Garoppolo isn’t typically known for.

And while there were gaffes, this touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk was a thing of beauty:

Garoppolo, not known for his pinpoint accuracy, still managed to put the ball in a place where only Aiyuk could get it. And despite being under pressure for most of the day, it was good to see Garoppolo poised within the pocket here.

That said, pressure played a key factor in the mistakes Garoppolo made, and we can’t get beyond those, unfortunately.