Jimmy Garoppolo dropped back to pass on a crucial third down in the final minutes with the game on the line and the 49ers’ chances of rousing victory or crushing defeat depending heavily on his capable right arm.
He looked deep.
Garoppolo’s receiving target had slipped past the defense, gotten behind the secondary, had nothing in front of him but clear end zone. Garoppolo spotted his target and let sail, the hopes of Niners Nation clinging to every dizzy spiral as his pass descended toward its destination.
It fell incomplete.
Jimmy Garoppolo in February during Super Bowl LIV?
No, this time, it was Garoppolo in September during San Francisco’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
Jimmy G missed again.
“That’s one I wish I had back,” Garoppolo said. “When you get opportunities like that, you’ve got to take advantage of it.”
Don’t the 49ers and their fans know all about that.
Garoppolo had missed on an opportunity similar to that seven long months ago on the game’s biggest stage at Miami Gardens, an opportunity that could have brought San Francisco a Lombardi Trophy. Instead, the 49ers were stopped on the ensuing fourth down and went on to lose Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The stakes were lower, but the circumstances much the same, Sept. 13, at Levi’s Stadium as the 49ers turned to Garoppolo as a game in which San Francisco seemingly was in command earlier with a 10-point lead was now slipping away.
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Niner Report.
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This story is from the October 2020 edition of Niner Report.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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