Jimmy Garoppolo’s 9 best games with 49ers
Jimmy Garoppolo’s roller coaster career with the 49ers has a deadline now that the club has invested three first-round picks in Trey Lance.
With what could be Garoppolo’s final training camp with the club looming, we went back through his 30 starts with San Francisco and found the best nine games.
Some of them come with big numbers and others land on the list because of specific moments. Should Garoppolo hold onto his starting job and get the 49ers back into Super Bowl contention, he’ll need to have a few games in 2021 that surpass some of the performances from his first 30 games.
Week 7, 2019 at Washington
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This was a sloppy game on a wet, muddy field in Washington. Garoppolo wasn't particularly good in a 9-0 49ers win, but his second-half performance earned this game a spot on the list. He went 3-10 for 10 yards in the first half, but came back with a 9-11 second half for 141 yards. Six of those completions accounted for first downs to help lift the 49ers to a 6-0 start in less-than-ideal conditions.
Week 16, 2019 vs. Los Angeles Rams
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
This is something of a forgotten game in the 49ers run to the playoffs. While Garoppolo wasn't spectacular (16-27, 248 yards, TD, 2 INTs), his two key throws on the final drive helped set up a game-winning field goal for Robbie Gould in the last second. First, Garoppolo delivered a strike to Kendrick Bourne across the middle for 18 yards on a third-and-16. Three plays later Garoppolo and the 49ers in a third-and-16 again. This time the Rams blew a coverage on Emmanuel Sanders, who Garoppolo connected with for 46 yards. A better throw to Sanders would've gone for a touchdown, but nevertheless, a pair of third-and-16 conversions with the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line was a sizable moment in Garoppolo's tenure with the 49ers.
Week 11, 2019 vs. Arizona
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
A pair of Garoppolo interceptions marred an otherwise excellent game from the 49ers' quarterback. He overcame two bad mistakes to complete 34-45 throws for 424 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winner to running back Jeff Wilson Jr. The interceptions became something of a hallmark for Garoppolo in 2019, but his ability to bounce back from those helped push this 36-26 win onto the list.
Week 15, 2017 vs. Titans
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The 49ers' comeback win against a playoff-bound Tennessee club late in the 2017 campaign was the moment that sold head coach Kyle Shanahan on his new quarterback. Garoppolo went 31-43 for 381 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in his third start for San Francisco. He went 11-13 in the fourth quarter, including 3-4 on the last drive to put the 49ers in a position to secure their third consecutive victory with their new starting quarterback.
Week 6, 2020 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
This game was preceded by an abominable Garoppolo performance against the Dolphins that would top a list of his worst games. Against the Rams in his second game back from a high ankle sprain, Garoppolo orchestrated a terrific Shanahan game plan that revolved around quick throws to help limit Garoppolo's need to exert his still-recovering ankle. He went 23-33 for 268 yards and three touchdowns while not issuing a turnover in a 24-16 win.
Week 9, 2019 at Arizona
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A Halloween night showing in the desert marked the start of Garoppolo's best stretch of games as the 49ers quarterback. He carved up a bad Arizona defense for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, the 49ers' vaunted rushing attack was held to just 101 yards on 31 attempts. What stood out in this one was how Garoppolo pushed the ball down the field in ways we hadn't really seen from him. He also helped ice the game with a couple third-down conversions on the final series without George Kittle.
Week 16, 2017 vs. Jacksonville
(Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
Knocking off this Jaguars team was Garoppolo's most impressive win of the five he ripped off as the starting quarterback in 2017. Jacksonville that year had the best defense in the league and went all the way to the AFC championship game. The 49ers hung up 44 points on them, and Garoppolo went 21-30 for 242 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. It was the first time all year that a tremendous Jaguars defense looked beatable, and Garoppolo was very good against them.
Week 17, 2019 at Seattle
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The final game of the 2019 campaign is highlighted by Dre Greenlaw's goal line tackle. Garoppolo and the offense were excellent though in a venue that had been Hell on 49ers signal callers. He went 18-22 for 285 yards, and 7-7 in the second half. San Francisco needed a near perfect performance from their quarterback to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and Garoppolo was very good.
Week 14, 2019 at New Orleans
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George Kittle gets the credit for his monster run-after-catch to set up the game-winning field goal against the Saints, but this was hands down Garoppolo's best game as a 49ers quarterback. It hasn't been often that he's put the team on his right arm, but a performance where he completed 26-35 passes for 349 yards and four touchdowns with one interception was enough to erase doubts that he could go toe-to-toe with a player like Drew Brees in a venue like the Superdome. If Garoppolo was consistently as good as he was on this Sunday in New Orleans, it'd be extremely hard to beat the 49ers.
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