San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo came into Saturday with an opportunity to silence plenty of criticism regarding his play in big moments. Instead, Garoppolo delivered another blunder that could prove devastating to the 49ers’ chances.
San Francisco’s offense couldn’t get anything going for a majority of the first half. Taking the field for their final drive of the second quarter, the 49ers had negative total yards offensively. But a spectacular catch by George Kittle sparked a 9-play drive that put the football at Green Bay’s 5-yard line.
- Jimmy Garopoppolo stats (first half): 3-of-9, 43 passing yards, 1 INT, 3 sacks
A holding penalty pushed San Francisco back, setting up a 1st-and-goal at the 19-yard line. Garoppolo avoided a sack, evading a big loss and then buying time by rolling out of the pocket. After seeing Kittle open in the end zone, the NFL world witnessed another “Jimmy being Jimmy” moment.
The smart decision would have been throwing the football away, taking a second down inside the red zone. But with an injured shoulder and a nasty thumb injury, Garoppolo tried to make a play and it backfired.
While it ultimately didn’t result in Green Bay increasing its 7-0 lead heading into halftime, thanks to a blocked field goal, it didn’t stop the NFL world from unleashing on Jimmy Garoppolo.
