Undefeated San Fran real contender despite QB’S uneven play
Garoppolo’s numbers fairly pedestrian as team relying on outstanding defence
When the San Francisco 49ers pried quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, then the presumed successor-in-waiting to Tom Brady in New England, from the Patriots in a stunning trade-deadline deal two years ago, it was possible to envision that the rebuilding project undertaken by coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch would have splendid results.
That gave Shanahan and Lynch the prospective franchise quarterback they needed to turn things around and begin trying to recapture the franchise’s glorious past.
Two years later, the 49ers indeed are on a roll. They are the NFC’S only unbeaten team, taking a record of 6-0 into Sunday’s home game against the Carolina Panthers. They’re coming off a satisfying victory last weekend at Fedex Field that allowed Shanahan to award a game ball to his father Mike and exact some family revenge against the Washington Redskins, and Lynch further bolstered the roster Tuesday by trading for Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
It’s not a straight line, however, from the Garoppolo trade in October 2017 to today. The Niners had to endure a miserable 2018 season without Garoppolo, who was lost to a knee injury after three games. And even now, they are not winning because of any exploits by Garoppolo. His numbers are rather ordinary. The 49ers are winning because they’re a deep and versatile team led by an overpowering defence.
“When you have a D-line like that and linebackers and our secondary that make plays, you have that out there, you definitely feel good,” tight end George Kittle said after last Sunday’s 9-0 triumph over the Redskins on a rain-soaked field. “The best part is, they just get you fired up, no matter what. If we’re losing or we’re winning, it’s like, ‘Hey, our defence did this, and we’ve got to give them some help.’ And it’s awesome.”
The 49ers and Patriots are the NFL’S only remaining undefeated teams. If they meet in the Super Bowl, the main storyline will be Brady facing Garoppolo, his former understudy. But both teams have offences trying to find their way while their dominant defences do the heavy lifting.
The Niners are ranked first in the league in pass defence and second, behind the Patriots, in total defence and scoring defence.
“Guys are just owning their jobs,” defensive tackle Deforest Buckner said after the win over the Redskins. “They’re not pointing any fingers when things go wrong. They come on the sideline and see what’s going wrong. Everybody’s seeing what we can do better to help the (defence) and we’re just feeding off each other’s energy.”
It’s not that the 49ers are terrible on offence. Shanahan is known as one of the game’s best offensive designers. The Niners are ranked second in the NFL in rushing offence and seventh in total offence. They’re 11th in scoring.
But it’s also clear that if the 49ers are going to meet the now-raised expectations in a season suddenly full of possibilities, they’ll need more from Garoppolo. He has six interceptions to go with seven touchdown passes and has an OK, but far from dazzling, passer rating of 90.8. He is the league’s 21st-rated passer.
That is not a sentiment voiced in the locker-room. Niners players express support for their quarterback. Cornerback Richard Sherman said Garoppolo made the plays that needed to be made, whether reflected in the stats or not, in the sloppy conditions against the Redskins. Kittle said Garoppolo is the team’s leader.
Garoppolo certainly was missed last season. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 3 and the 49ers went 4-12. With Garoppolo back, the pieces are in place. The trade for Sanders, who had three 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Broncos, should help the passing game.
“We have that focus,” Kittle said. “We have that will and we have that grit. And I love that about this team.”
Sherman said nobody is looking too far ahead, however.
“I think guys have the right mentality on this team to just stay locked in, stay in the moment, stay in the present. Don’t look too far ahead. Don’t look too far back.”