QB Jimmy Garoppolo leads San Francisco 49ers to second win of season, 15-14 over the Bears
CHICAGO — If you can’t have Tom Brady – and let’s end those pipe dreams right now because New England isn’t letting him go – the next-best thing is having the guy who’s been by his side these last few years.
That second-round pick for soon-to-be free agent Jimmy Garoppolo already appears to be a wise investment for the San Francisco 49ers, who won their second game of the season Sunday after Garoppolo drove them 86 yards in the final four minutes.
It’s risky to put much stock in one game, even if it was only fourth win in the last two years for the 49ers. But there’s a reason there was so much interest in Garoppolo after starting two games in three-plus years in New England, and by pairing him with offensive guru Kyle Shanahan, the struggling 49ers can finally see the path back to respectability.
“He really learned from Tom Brady. That’s who he reminded me of, just a young Tom Brady out there,” Carlos Hyde said. “You know how Brady is late in the game or you give Brady 30 seconds to go and he can still win the game for his team?
“(Garoppolo) was just telling guys to stay calm,” Hyde said. “When we were in a situation where we needed a first down, he’d be like, `Yo, we need this. He’d let the receiver know, get this much from your route.’ Guys were executing.”
Yes, the 49ers made five trips to the red zone and had to settle for five Robbie Gould field goals, the last coming with four seconds left in the 15-14 win against the Chicago Bears. But the red-zone failures can largely be chalked up to an offense that’s trying to get up to speed with a quarterback who’s been with the franchise for all of a month.
What’s more telling is that when San Francisco needed plays, Garoppolo made them. He was 8 of 16 on third-down conversions – Hyde and Kyle Juszczyk picked up the other two – and made the biggest on that final drive, when the 49ers were facing third-and-9 from their own 49.
With the Bears bringing pressure, Garoppolo hung in in the pocket until he saw Trent Taylor get a step ahead of Bears corner Cre’Von LeBlanc in the middle of the field. Garoppolo threw a laser, and Taylor caught it in stride for a 33-yard gain that put the 49ers well within Gould’s range.
It was Garoppolo’s longest pass of the day, and it showed the 49ers that this guy is different than everyone else who’s been on the quarterback merry-go-round. Once he’s familiar with Shanahan and his offense, there’s no telling what he can do.
“This is the most confident I’ve been since I’ve gotten here,” said Garoppolo, now 3-0 as a starter in the NFL. “I think every week it will just get easier and easier. We’ll start putting more things in, adding to the repertoire. I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
Garoppolo also finally acknowledged what a challenge this week was for him. Not only was he making his first start with the 49ers, a week after seeing his first playing time with them, but he was doing it in Chicago, where he grew up a Bears fan.
“I tried to say all week that it was just a normal game,” Garoppolo said. “But obviously I’ve never come back to Chicago like this.”
And there will no doubt be some Bears fans asking why he was here as a visitor rather than the star of the home team.
Garoppolo’s action was, no surprise, limited in three-plus seasons as Brady’s backup. But what he did in his two starts last year – 42 of 59 for 496 yards, four TDs and no interceptions while Brady was suspended for Deflategate – and the fact he was learning from one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game made him the subject of much interest during the off-season.
The Bears were among those interested, but according to media reports thought the price was too high. But as the season progressed, the Patriots began feeling the pressure of getting something for Garoppolo before he became a free agent and traded him to San Francisco on Oct. 31.
It’s an ideal scenario for both Garoppolo and the 49ers. Garoppolo gets to play for one of the best offensive minds in the game – again – while Shanahan has a quarterback who fits his offensive style.
If that sounds like the Patriots, well, it is. There are far worse teams to be imitated.
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Follow Paste BN Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.
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