Jimmy Garoppolo is a Driving Force in the 49ers' Offense
Another nail biter of a game for the San Francisco 49ers who barely seal a victory over the Arizona Cardinals 36-26. A go-ahead touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to Jeff Wilson Jr. was the play that finalized the results. It was a battle that necessitated the full length of regulation to dictate.
You had to figure that this game was going to come down to the wire since the same thing happened last time these two teams matched up. One of the things that was replicated from the last matchup in week nine was Garoppolo proving, once again, that he is a driving force in the 49ers' offense. Despite throwing two interceptions, Garoppolo was still able to drop back and deliver comfortably.
Some quarterbacks would have freaked out after throwing just one interception, but Garoppolo is calm and composed. You can always pencil it in that he will have at least one questionable throw that makes no sense. Even with that as a factor for every game, he significantly boosts the offense to allow them to continue sustaining drives.
Even today when the running game was completely obsolete, Garoppolo was able to shoulder the burden and deliver. Defenses are starting to take notice of how to minimize the 49ers' offense by selling out for the run. It is a staple of the offense after all, which increases the pressure on Garoppolo.
With that pressure, he is able to gash defenses and run up the stat sheet. Garoppolo did not have an elite performance by any measure, however, do not disregard the situation he was in. He had to step up with a shaky receiver group who performed horribly last week against the Seattle Seahawks. Yet he still has faith in them to continue to drill the ball to them for the clutch plays.
As vital as the running game has been for the 49ers, the driving force of the offense is Garoppolo, make no mistake about that. He is easily the most tempting to criticize, but he handles his responsibilities in the offense and then some. Against Seattle last week, he did not look good, which was more so a proponent of the players around him.
Regardless, Garoppolo delivers no matter the situation. Even with a solid performance he will still have critics deeming him no better than average. Garoppolo and his teammates could care less because they are back on the winning side again at 9-1. With this win the 49ers have now allowed themselves a bit of leeway with the critical part of the schedule upcoming.
