The entire narrative of a football team can change with just one play. A game originally defined by a porous San Francisco 49ers pass defense suddenly centered around the health of Jimmy Garoppolo going forward.
San Francisco 49ers Week Three Loss
Garoppolo Injury
Garoppolo injured his left knee on a run down the left sideline on a third and 20. He looked like he was about to head out of bounds but lowered his shoulder to try to fight for at least a couple more yards.
This is a perfect example of a player’s natural grittiness ultimately putting a team in a bad position going forward.
Garoppolo is this franchise’s cornerstone player, as evidenced by both his performance last season and the ensuing lucrative contract he was rewarded with.
He had to come out of the game with an injury, and it’s feared that he’s done for the season. It’s never a good sign when the dreaded cart makes an appearance.
The Pivotal Plays Leading Up to the Injury
Every mistake out on the field made by a team has consequences beyond that one instant. Look at what happened the two plays prior to the Garoppolo injury.
The 49ers had first and goal from the Kansas City Chiefs four-yard line with 7:04 left in the game. They were on the verge of scoring a touchdown and climbing back to within seven points of the Chiefs with what would have been over six minutes remaining in the game.
The 49ers defense was having far more success containing the Chiefs offense in the second half after they had allowed five touchdowns on five possessions in the first half.
The defense had held the Chiefs to just a field goal in the second half to that point. It’s not outrageous to think they could have forced a punt and given their offense a few minutes to tie the game before regulation expired.
But the pivotal point in this game was when the ball was at the four. Garoppolo was sacked on the next two plays, pushing the offense back to the 20-yard line.
Garoppolo knew the team was in four-down territory at this point and wanted to set up as manageable a fourth down as possible.
He ran 13 yards on that third down and injured himself trying to put his team in the most advantageous position.
There’s plenty of blame to go around. Yes, Garoppolo should have had the presence of mind to get out of bounds in that situation and not put himself in a position to get injured.
However, he was only trying to undo mistakes that his offensive line made on the two plays before that. Maybe he wouldn’t have felt the urgency to pick up those extra yards if his offensive line had done a better job protecting him the previous plays.
This game might have had a very different outcome without those two sacks. If Garoppolo misses extended time (which it looks like he undoubtedly will) those two sacks allowed could define the 49ers season.
C.J. Beathard came in for the fourth down and threw a clutch touchdown pass to George Kittle, but it was called back on an offensive pass interference.
The ref thought Kyle Juszczyk set an illegal pick, but replays revealed that he was just trying to run his route.
It was probably a blown call, but a team can’t put itself in a position for the referees to have to make crucial judgments like that.
It’s just such a shame. Garoppolo had a very efficient day before the injury, too. He went 20/30 for 251 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 114.7.
Chiefs Passing Offense Looked Dominant Early
Patrick Mahomes is going to receive most of the attention for another stellar performance, but his passer rating of 115.5 was only slightly better than Garoppolo’s.
Although they slowed down in the second half, the Chiefs offense was moving the ball and scoring effortlessly to begin the game.
They scored five touchdowns on their first five possessions in the first half, a feat that the franchise had never accomplished heading into this game.
Mahomes threw three touchdowns in this game and set an NFL record for the most touchdown passes in the first 3 games of a season with 13 touchdown passes.
Although the 49ers defense seemed helpless in that opening half, it might be less of a personal failure on their part and more attributable to a high-octane offense featuring numerous weapons, creative play calling, and an exciting quarterback who can sling the ball downfield and scramble when necessary to keep plays alive.
49ers Commit Costly Penalties
Besides Garoppolo, the biggest story of the day for the 49ers was their propensity for self-inflicted wounds.
They were penalized 14 times for a total of 147 yards. They came into the game playing a red-hot Chiefs team, and they simply couldn’t afford such an undisciplined performance against what might be the most explosive offense in the NFL.
It seemed like whenever they made a big stop on defense, they’d commit a penalty and completely negate it. Or if they were on offense they’d commit penalties and put themselves in difficult third-and-long situations, effectively stalling drives.
It’s nearly impossible to win when that many penalties are committed, especially on the road against such a talented squad.
49ers Rushing Attack Looked Solid
The 49ers offense looked like it was establishing a nice rhythm by the time the second half rolled around. It’s what makes the Garoppolo injury that much more devastating.
Marquise Goodwin returned from a quadriceps injury to catch three passes for 30 yards and a touchdown, so that was encouraging.
Juszczyk had two catches for 38 yards, one of which was a touchdown on an excellent play-action pass from Garoppolo the play after a big fourth-down conversion in the second quarter.
Matt Breida came into the game as the league’s leading rusher, and he had another great game. He had 10 carries for 90 yards and three catches 27 yards. He had an injury scare a few minutes before halftime but returned to action.
Alfred Morris is also serving as a solid complementary back. He had 14 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown.
The 49ers as a team ran for 178 yards, while their run defense held the Chiefs to just 77 yards on 28 carries, although Kareem Hunt had two touchdowns.
Kittle Continues to Showcase Potential
Kittle had another good game also. He recovered from a bad drop the very first play of the game to catch five passes for 79 yards.
He’s a great athlete with a fantastic mix of size and speed at the tight end position. Once he catches the ball he’s always a threat to eat up more yards.
If he can ever improve his hands the sky is truly the limit for what this guy can accomplish. All the physical tools are there.
Mahomes Torches 49ers Secondary
The 49ers pass defense was carved up by Mahomes, particularly in that opening quarter. He was doing a great job of getting multiple figures involved in the offense.
All three of his touchdowns were thrown to different people. Sammy Watkins, Demetrius Harris, and Chris Conley all had touchdown catches.
Travis Kelce led the team with eight catches and 114 yards. Watkins had five catches for 55 yards and Tyreek Hill had two catches for 51 yards.
Anxious Days Ahead for 49ers
The injury concerns for the 49ers go beyond Garoppolo unfortunately. Richard Sherman didn’t play the second half due to a calf injury.
There were expectations for him to play a big role on their defensive unit this season, and his potential absence going forward makes this game even more difficult to stomach.
Realistically, it’s unclear how much of an impact this team can make without Garoppolo under center. Whether they go with Beathard for the time being or sign a free agent remains to be seen.
The season is suddenly looking a lot dimmer for the 49ers. Everyone will be anxiously awaiting more news on the severity of the Garoppolo injury.
