Kyle Shanahan Calls Out Jimmy Garoppolo After 49ers Loss
Kyle Shanahan called out Jimmy Garoppolo following the San Francisco 49ers’ surprising 24-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Garoppolo finished the day with 259 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions on 19 for 33 passing. Statistically, he was fine. But when it mattered most, during his team’s final drive, he floundered.
San Francisco found itself down by four with just over five minutes remaining in the outing. Plenty of time to make a move with the NFL’s 2019 leader in fourth-quarter comebacks at the helm of the offense.
The game was within reach, but Garoppolo ultimately threw it away. His lack of poise under pressure was most evident on fourth-and-five, when he lobbed the ball behind Trent Taylor –sealing the game for Arizona, once and for all.
All in all, the 28-year-old went 5 for 8 for 27 yards on that final drive.
Garoppolo’s showing at the end of the game brought back bad memories of him missing a wide open Emmanuel Sanders in Super Bowl LIV.
The President thinks he knows why. https://t.co/l1vtABjU8Y
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 14, 2020
Afterward, Garoppolo’s head coach did not sugarcoat things.
“Yeah, he had some good plays in there, but just like the entire offense, just missed a number of opportunities that it was going to take to win that game,” Shanahan said.
“We had a couple there, but he’s got to play better. We’ve all got to play better on offense, especially.”
Garoppolo, to his credit, owned the poor performance.
“I don’t think we got into a very good rhythm,” he said.
“Just one drive would be great, one drive would be not so good. Like I said, I said this earlier, but the consistency that’s what wins games in football, especially in the NFL. It’s just the more consistent you could be, starting with myself, it’s going to make everything a lot easier.”
The NFC West is going to be a warzone this year. There is virtually no room for error. And that is a big reason why Shanahan has taken off the kid gloves so early. He is letting Garoppolo know precisely what he needs to do better, because there is no time to play it slow.
Cam Newton was dressed to win. https://t.co/7V6rSJGsSX
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 13, 2020
Despite Super Bowl runners-up often struggling in their follow-up campaigns, most had San Francisco pegged as the class of the NFC heading into the new season.
The team did not deliver in Week 1.
Next up for the Niners: a showdown against the perpetually unimpressive New York Jets on September 20.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
