FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after defeating the New England Patriots 33-6 in their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The easy narrative following the 49ers’ 33-6 beatdown of the New England Patriots in Foxborough will be that San Francisco quarterback and former Patriot Jimmy Garoppolo went to his old stomping grounds and showed his former team why it was a mistake to trade him.
However, things are never that simple in football or with the Niners’ QB.
Garoppolo played well enough to win on Sunday. The bar was low, given how far the Patriots have fallen this past season and how well the 49ers defense is playing as of late, but he hurdled it. He’s now 26-8 all-time as a starting quarterback, and that’s a record you cannot take for granted.
But the real reason the 49ers won Sunday had little to do with Garoppolo. (Story continues below slideshow.)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Lawrence Guy #93 of the New England Patriots tackles Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson #30 of the San Francisco 49ers dives with the ball during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Brandon Aiyuk #11 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled by Jonathan Jones #31 and Devin McCourty #32 of the New England Patriots during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 during their NFL game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA – OCTOBER 25: Kyle Juszczyk #44 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled by members of the New England Patriots in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Cam Newton #1 of the New England Patriots looks to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers grabs his left leg after scoring on a seven-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots in the third quarter of their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) eludes New England Patriots defensive back J.C. Jackson (27) after catching a pass in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, center, watches from the sideline in the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Lawrence Guy #93 of the New England Patriots tackles Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson #30 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA – OCTOBER 25: Fred Warner #54 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with teammates after an interception against the New England Patriots in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passes against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for a seven-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots in the third quarter of their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled with the ball during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates his 16-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second quarter of their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jakob Johnson #47 of the New England Patriots fumbles against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA – OCTOBER 25: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers escapes the tackle of Ja’Whaun Bentley #51 of the New England Patriots in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for a seven-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots in the third quarter of their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Kyle Juszczyk #44 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball for a four-yard touchdown against the New England Patriots during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA – OCTOBER 25: Gunner Olszewski #80 of the New England Patriots is tackled by Joe Walker #59 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #30 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball against the New England Patriots during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passes against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jakob Johnson #47 of the New England Patriots fumbles the ball as he is hit by Azeez Al-Shaair #51 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers dives with the ball during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA – OCTOBER 25: Fred Warner #54 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after an interception against the New England Patriots in the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, rear, passes under pressure from San Francisco 49ers defenders Fred Warner (54) and Kerry Hyder Jr. (92) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. gains yardage against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Kendrick Bourne #84 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a touchdown during a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passes against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson #30 of the San Francisco 49ers scores a touchdown in the third quarter of a game against the New England Patriots on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
New England Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (51) tackles San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (30) in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (30) walks off the field after an injury while scoring a touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 25: Jeff Wilson #30 of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled during a game against the San Francisco 49ers on October 25, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr., left, celebrates his touchdown with George Kittle, right, in the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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No, the Niners had, despite countless injuries, a better 48-man roster than the Patriots, and their superior talent manhandled a New England team that looked nothing like the machines coach Bill Belichick has built over the last two decades.
In fact, Garoppolo was asked by head coach and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to do the absolute bare minimum against New England. Simply: Don’t lose us the game.
And when, on Sunday, Garoppolo hinted early that he might not heed that advice, throwing an ugly-as-sin interception on the second possession of the game, Shanahan changed the game plan to make it even easier on his quarterback.
Oof. Over the middle interception, as usual from Garoppolo. Pretty much all of his picks are right over the mid. #49erspic.twitter.com/Puj3hh1f1R
For the second week in a row, a third time this season, and a fifth time in his last seven games as a starter, Garoppolo was asked to simply hand the ball off or throw short, easy-to-complete screens and slants. Shanahan was hiding him, plain and simple.
And now that the 49ers are back in the hunt for more than just a berth in the playoffs, it’ll be interesting to see if they can continue to win with that formula.
Please don’t misunderstand me. Sunday’s offensive performance from the 49ers was outstanding and deserves plaudits. The Niners ran roughshod over a wholly inferior Patriots team without much — if any resistance. (That was as strange to type as I’m sure it was to read). On 37 carries Sunday, the Niners amassed 197 yards on the ground.
If you built up a respect for the Pats and head coach Bill Belichick over the last two decades, it was tough to watch — a true fall from grace. If you built up some acrimony over that time, Sunday’s game was a party.
And no member of the Shanahan family is ever going to turn down an opportunity to win a game by running the ball. I think a diagram of an outside zone run is at the center of their family crest.
Even the less run-inclined coaches in the league will take a ground-and-pound victory like the Niners’ on Sunday. And if you can win that way, by all means, win that way. Ultimately, the identity of the Niners is to run the ball with gusto and to play tenacious defense. They’ve done that the last two weeks and have won twice.
But that’s just one kind of smoke. It can only carry you so far.
No, the great offenses, like last year’s Niners were up to a point, can beat you in both the run game and the passing game. True offensive balance — the kind Shanahan desires, not the ham-fisted kind we see from coordinators trying to make the run-pass numbers match — is true strength in this league. But right now, San Francisco’s quarterback is more of a liability than an asset.
And that’s not just me saying that — it’s Shanahan, through his playcalling.
Garoppolo completed 20 of 25 passes for 277 yards and two interceptions on Sunday. Not a bad stat line, though one interception was galling and the other was a byproduct of a questionable Hail Mary toss at the end of the first half.
But the box score lies. Of those 20 completions, 10 came at or behind the line of scrimmage. Shanahan, using wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel (the latter who spent time as a running back in this game, before picking up an unnecessary fourth-quarter injury) on frequent jet and orbit motions, created a fake run-pass option for Garoppolo Sunday – a faux-RPO. And it wasn’t Garoppolo making the choice, it was Shanahan. Whether it was a handoff, a shovel pass, or a screen pass, the Niners’ playmakers had the ball outside the tackles stretching the not-exactly-athletic Patriots’ defense sideline-to-sideline and creating advantageous one-on-one matchups.
And of those 10 other Garoppolo competitions, only one of them traveled more than 15 yards in the air. It took an exceptional athletic effort by Aiyuk to rein in that pass — a better ball would have resulted in an easy touchdown.
Only two Garoppolo throws Sunday — by my count — were made in a tight window.
What the 49ers did on Sunday worked. There will no doubt be other games this season where that will be the case.
But there will also be games where Shanahan cannot hide his quarterback by scaling back the offense into a series of handoffs and screens. There will be contests where the defense, which is still ravaged by injury, won’t be playing against a quarterback who makes Garoppolo look like a dramatic upgrade. There will be contests where the Niners don’t take an early lead and are therefore not allowed to control the game script.
What happens then?
Shanahan can try, but not even he is good enough to keep Garoppolo under wraps all season. Even a grandmaster only has so many moves.
Nearly halfway through the season, we’re asking the same question we were asking in January and February, August and September.
But does Garoppolo have another gear — the kind we’ve seen flashed in 2017 and 2019. Can he take over a game and lead the 49ers to a victory?
If he can, these tough and resilient 49ers might just be back in the Super Bowl hunt.
If not, it will be the defining factor of this Niners season.
I don’t think we’ll have to wait long to find out. The Niners have done exceptionally well to be back in the thick of things as the calendar flips. Now, they get the toughest November schedule in the NFL — the Seahawks, Packers, Saints, and Rams loom.
You can’t use smoke and mirrors to exit that gauntlet with your season dreams intact. No sir.
The Niners are going to need their quarterback to start making some winning plays.
