Garoppolo pulled at halftime, unable to rescue 49ers’ defense
A fourth- string cornerback, in his San Francisco 49ers debut, kept staking the Miami Dolphins to yards and points.
The franchise quarterback, on a tender ankle, kept getting hit and became an interception machine.
By the time Brian Allen and Jimmy Garoppolo got pulled, too much damage was done to avert one of the 49ers’ most embarrassing losses under coach Kyle Shanahan, a 43-17 faceplant to the underdog Miami Dolphins.
The 49ers (2-3) are winless in three home games, with the Los Angeles Rams (4-1) coming to Levi’s Stadium next Sunday night.
This loss should rattle the 49ers to their core like none other since Shanahan arrived in 2017. No visitor to Levi’s Stadium had scored as much as the Dolphins (2-3).
T he defending NFC champion can’t win at home, it can’t play defense without a viable pass rush, and not even a full-strength offense could help Garoppolo avoid a career-worst 15.7 passer rating in his premature return from a highankle sprain.
With a 30- 7 halftime deficit in place, Garoppolo got yanked in favor of C. J. Beathard.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (350 yards, three touchdowns) didn’t need his Harvard education to exploit the 49ers’ defensive weakness. Called up Saturday from the practice squad, Allen had a de-structful debut for an injury-laden cornerback crew. This wasn’t surprising.
More stunning wa s how lifeless, confused and swagger-less the 49ers responded. They had wobbled amid so much adversity the past month. The Dolphins merely tipped over their wounded opponent.
Here are the highs, lows and all you need to know: GAROPPOLO’S RETURN >> A Sept. 20 ankle injury kept Garoppolo out the past 2 1/2 games. And a 23-point halftime deficit got him out of this game, coach Kyle Shanahan making the move to “protect” Garoppolo.
Because Nick Mullens’ turnover trifecta keyed last Sunday night’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the 49ers counted on Garoppolo to rescue them from their demise, as if this was December 2017 all over again.
A week’s worth of practice did not ease his transition. His high-ankle sprain surely contributed to his poor passing (7- of-17 for 77 yards with two interceptions and a 15.7 rating).
What the 49ers do next Sunday is anyone’s guess, more so than last week’s charade of Garoppolo-mullens- or-beathard.
Before his horrible first half was done, Garoppolo floated two passes toward midfield that produced the first interceptions off him
this season. The first was a 20-yard heave toward Jerick Mckinnon, and the next was a 25-yarder toward Deebo Samuel.
One of the caveats for Garoppolo’s clearance to play was whether he could protect himself. He got sacked three times before halftime. His offensive line did not help in that regard. Actually, the first two sacks were on his linemen (Trent Williams, then Laken Tomlinson/ben Garland) before a devastating, blind-side hit on a sack allowed by tight end Ross Dwelley. CORNERBACK CRISIS >> Fitz
patrick immediately attacked a 49ers cornerback crew missing its injured starters, and Allen made for easy prey his debut as a practice-squad callup.
He gave up a 47-yard catch on the first snap, and that painted the Dolphins’ target. Allen then yielded receptions of 28, 8 and 19 yards before a 22yard touchdown reception got him benched, plus his two penalties that set up the Dolphins with firstand-goal.
It wasn’t until the fifth series that Allen got pulled for Ahkello Witherspoon,
who missed the past two games with a hamstring injury and was questionable for this game. With Richard Sherman’s return from injured reserve on hold until at least next game, the 49ers also were without Emmanuel Moseley (concussion), K’waun Williams (knee) and Dontae Johnson (groin).
Why wait so long to bench Allen? No depth? No doubt, but that was too long. Witherspoon’s passinterference penalty perhaps explained best why he didn’t come in earlier, as he never looked for the ball while acosting his receiver. SECOND- QUARTER SPARK >> When Raheem Mostert took off on a 37-yard run down the left sideline, all seemed right in the 49ers’ universe. That burst is what the 49ers sorely missed as he, like Garoppolo, missed the past 2 1/2 games.
Mostert overcame a knee sprain to generate the offense’s best threat on an otherwise dry day.
His 37-yard run to the Miami 12 sparked the 49ers’ first touchdown drive. They had opened at the Miami 49 after a 17-yard punt return by Trent Taylor. Eventually, Kyle Juszczyk scored untouched on a 7-yard run to pull the 49ers within 14-7.
The Dolphins responded with the next 16 points, including three field goals inside the final two minutes of the first half. OFFENSIVE CAST >> This was the 49ers’ first game fielding Garoppolo, Mostert, tight end George Kittle and wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Plus, they had the same offensive linemen who started each of the previous games this year, so that consistency and cast should have led to an offensive heyday.
Kittle, after a 15- catch bonanza last game, had just three receptions for 35 yards midway through the fourth quarter. SLUGGISH START >> As if a three- and- out was not a poor enough start, the 49ers’ second possession may have been more discouraging.