Tag: Jimmy Garoppolo

5 takeaways from Seahawks’ thrilling 27-24 OT win over 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers with a statement victory. Here are five takeaways from the game.

The Seattle Seahawks (8-2) defeated the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers (8-1) on the road in overtime as the clock expired, obtaining perhaps their most important victory of the season. They now head into their bye week in the thick of the NFC West race. Here are five takeaways from Monday’s game.

The defense stepped up and showed drastic improvement at times

The Seahawks consistently got to the quarterback for seemingly the first time all year, in perhaps their most crucial game of the season. After surrendering 10 unanswered points to begin the game, the defense stiffened up and made plays in key moments. Jarran Reed strip-sacked Jimmy Garoppolo and Jadeveon Clowney recovered the ball, returning it for his second touchdown of the season and putting Seattle on the board. Quandre Diggs had a key interception off a pass that deflected off Kendrick Bourne’s hands and set up Seattle’s second touchdown to take a 14-10 lead. The defense also did enough in overtime to stop the 49ers offense and force a field goal try, which Chase McLaughlin shanked badly. However . . .

The defense dropped interceptions that could have sealed the game in regulation

On the 49ers’ final drive before overtime, Tre Flowers dropped an interception off another deflection by Bourne, bobbling it but failing to come up with the ball. Garoppolo then threw a ball directly to K.J. Wright, but he also failed to catch it. The ball to Flowers was tough to corral, but the pass to Wright was thrown right to him, and he could have sealed the game for Seattle right then and there.

Crucial fumbles and takeaways galore

Both offenses routinely had the ball stripped, and two of these fumbles were returned for touchdowns. In addition to Clowney’s fumble recovery for a TD, 49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner scooped up a fumble by Germain Ifedi after a fumble by Russell Wilson, returning it for a touchdown that San Francisco would put an exclamation mark on with a two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 21-18. Clowney also had a strip-sack of his own, with Poona Ford recovering to set up a rushing TD by Chris Carson (who also had a fumble before the Seahawks’ second TD) to make the score 21-10 in favor of the Seahawks. Speaking of key fumbles . . .

DK Metcalf’s red zone fumble before halftime was costly

With just over a minute to go before the half, Wilson completed a pass to Metcalf. The rookie second-round pick tried to power his way through to the end zone, fighting through tacklers along the sideline. As Metcalf spun inside the 5-yard line, 49ers defensive back Jaquiski Tartt stripped the ball from Metcalf at the 2. It was more of a great play by Tartt than a mistake by Metcalf, but a golden opportunity to score was squandered.

Sweet redemption for Myers

After nearly costing the Seahawks the game against Tampa Bay last week with two misses, one of which came as regulation expired, Myers made two clutch field goals. His first was a 46-yarder that gave Seattle a 24-21 lead with 1:45 in regulation, and his second was the game-winning 42-yarder that went just inside the right upright after Kyle Shanahan nullified Myers’ first attempt (which he also made) by burning his final timeout. There were many fans wondering if Myers should have been cut after last week, and some outright clamoring for it. It’s safe to say he got redemption in Santa Clara.

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4 takeaways from the Seahawks’ wild, overtime win over the 49ers

A tremendous game and an impressive performance by Russell Wilson.

If the NFC championship is a rematch of this Monday Night Football game, we’re in for a treat. The Seattle Seahawks’ 27-24 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 was wild, messy and exciting. It may have been the most fun game of the season.

The 49ers’ and Seahawks’ defenses gave their offenses every opportunity to win — and did some scoring, too, with each team logging a defensive touchdown. Because of those strong units, Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson had a few gaffes, which had the teams in a tight contest until kicker Jason Meyers hit the game-winner as time expired in overtime.

Wilson, even with an almost-costly interception, should be a front-runner in the MVP race, and because of him, the Seahawks will be in the hunt for the top seed in the NFC, with the 49ers entering an absolutely brutal stretch in their schedule. They are no longer unbeaten — along with the rest of the league — and perhaps their weaknesses were on display for upcoming opponents.

Here are four takeaways from the Monday night thriller.

1. Russell Wilson finds a way to win, even amid struggles.

He didn’t put together the spotless performance we’ve grown accustomed to seeing this season. His interception, for example, was out of the norm for him. He entered the game with preposterously efficient touchdown-interception ratio at 22:1, but threw that INT in overtime, when the Seahawks seemed to be on the verge of putting the game away. It was also a bad sign that the passing stats between Wilson (232 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 5 sacks) and Garoppolo (248 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 5 sacks) looked similar.

But make no mistake: Wilson was by far the better quarterback, going 3 of 3 for 15 yards on the Seahawks’ final overtime drive to set up the game-winning kick. He also scrambled for a third-down conversion on an 18-yard pickup on that final drive. He did that without top wideout Tyler Lockett and with an otherwise unimpressive supporting cast.

This 49ers defense has challenged every quarterback they’ve faced. Wilson’s struggles are minor in that context. And the fact that we’re picking nits is probably a testament to how superb he’s been this season. Wilson is clearly still an MVP candidate. This win over the 49ers keeps him in the discussion as the favorite for the award.

Even when — and perhaps especially when — he was running for his life, he was making jaw-dropping plays.

2. It’s hard to feel good about Jimmy Garoppolo.

On the 49ers’ final offensive drive of the fourth quarter, Garoppolo seemed intent upon throwing an interception. Both Seahawks linebackers K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner dropped passes that were gimmes. Garoppolo may have put together one of his best games in his career in Week 9, but his performance in Week 10 was another reminder of why Kyle Shanahan seems to keep telling Garoppolo to do less, do less. He looked a little bit like a liability.

Garoppolo was frantic in the pocket, and was inaccurate in the fourth quarter and in the overtime period. Perhaps more poise and comfort will come with time. For the time being, Garoppolo looked like he was playing scared. He was probably a microphone away from admitting he was seeing ghosts.

The running backs are the key to this offense for a reason. And Shanahan went to them in overtime, with three runs and two passes on their opening overtime drive. When he let Garoppolo throw the ball on the second drive, he threw three consecutive incompletions, which made him 1 of 5 in overtime for seven yards.

It’s unfair to say that the young quarterback was a total mess. After all, he did get San Francisco into field goal range on that final fourth-quarter drive. But even when he was effective, his play was ugly.

3. I’m kind of in love with this punt formation.

If you’re a football nerd like me, you might appreciate this oddity.

It looked almost like a formation from the Canadian Football League. (Shanahan actually stole this strange play from the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick, who probably stole it from a team in the 1940s.) The 49ers put a gunner in the backfield near the punter. That allowed him to run free without getting pressed off the line. In this instance, it ended up backfiring, with the player hitting the returner before he had time to field the ball cleanly. That’s right: he got there too quickly.

Still, it could make for an interesting opportunity to run a fake punt. In the meantime, it allows a 49ers’ gunner a free run and a head of steam in the open field for a tackle. With the except of the penalty, this seemed to work nicely.

4. Fantasy football thought: Where did Tyler Lockett go?

Not only did he finish with just three catches for 26 yards, but he suffered an injury in overtime, and the Seahawks turned to Josh Gordon, D.K. Metcalf and Malik Turner. (Turner, by the way, managed a clutch 28-yard catch on third-and-16 to extend the Seahawks’ first drive in overtime.) So after Lockett exploded in Week 9 (13 receptions, 152 yards, 2 TDs), he was a relative non-factor and may be a concern in the coming days with a leg injury.

To make things worse for Lockett’s owners, Gordon looked competent in the Seahawks’ offense, and his role is sure to increase in the coming weeks. Seattle doesn’t throw often — it’s bad news Lockett is losing a share of the targets.

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Instant analysis of Seattle’s 27-24 OT victory over San Francisco

The Seahawks and 49ers went into overtime in a Monday night classic, with Seattle prevailing, 27-24, to hand San Francisco their first loss.

In an instant classic that should reignite their rivalry, the Seattle Seahawks escaped with a 27-24 overtime victory over the 49ers on Monday night, handing San Francisco its first loss of the season.

As the clock expired, kicker Jason Myers nailed the game-winner from 42 yards out after his counterpart, Chase McLaughlin of the 49ers, missed a potential game-winner earlier in the extra period. It was the second straight overtime win for the Seahawks, who beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40-34 in Week 9.

The Seahawks once again got off to a very slow start against San Francisco, quickly going down 10-0 in the first quarter. It almost went very differently, with Shaquill Griffin appearing to pick off Jimmy Garoppolo on the first drive of the game — but a holding penalty on nickel cornerback Jamar Taylor negated the pick and led to a field goal for San Francisco.

Taylor got beaten badly on the following drive, allowing Garoppolo to find Kendrick Bourne for a touchdown to give San Francisco an early 10-0 lead.

The momentum eventually swung back to the Seahawks, however, with Jarran Reed forcing a fumble in the second quarter that was recovered by Jadeveon Clowney, who picked it up and walked into the end zone for his second touchdown of the season.

Seattle nearly scored again right before halftime, but wide receiver DK Metcalf was stripped at the 2-yard line by Jaquiski Tartt, allowing the 49ers to take their 10-7 lead into the break.

The third quarter was mostly uneventful until Garoppolo, while getting hit by linebacker Mychal Kendricks, overthrew Dante Pettis. The ball landed right in the hands of Seattle’s new safety, Quandre Diggs, who returned the interception 44 yards to the 49ers’ 16-yard line.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson found Jacob Hollister in the end zone a few plays later, giving Hollister his third career touchdown — all which have come in the last two games. It was Seattle’s first lead of the game, with 4:37 left in the third quarter.

The Seahawks scored again to end the third on a one-yard touchdown run from Chris Carson. That score was also created by Jadeveon Clowney, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Poona Ford and gave Seattle outstanding field position.

However, San Francisco’s defensive line had tricks up their sleeves as well.  Wilson was sacked, and the ball landed in Germain Ifedi’s arms. He promptly fumbled it away, which allowed DeForest Buckner to pick it up and score a touchdown. A two-point conversion brought the score to 21-18 with 12 minutes to play.

After a San Francisco field goal tied things up, Wilson and the Seahawks marched down the field and scored on a field goal from Myers, who redeemed himself after missing a potential game-winner at the end of regulation last week. But the Seahawks missed a pair of interception opportunities on the ensuing drive, allowing San Francisco to nail a field goal of their own and send the game into overtime.

Seattle got the ball first, but after a handful of magnificent plays — including a third-and-16 conversion to Malik Turner after a highly questionable call in which Wilson was ruled to have been sacked — Wilson threw a red zone interception to Dre Greenlaw that put the 49ers in great field position. It was Wilson’s second interception of the season.

Seattle’s defense stepped up, though, and McLaughlin couldn’t convert his second consecutive 47-yard field goal attempt.

After a pair of failed drives for both sides, the Seahawks turned to Myers once again, and the former Pro Bowler nailed the 42-yard attempt to give San Francisco its first loss of the season and lift Seattle to 8-2.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, with both quarterbacks posting passer ratings below 90, along with myriad penalties, turnovers and injuries, but the Seahawks got the job done when it counted and have given themselves an excellent opportunity to still win the NFC West.

They’ll head into a much-deserved bye week next before taking on the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday, Nov. 24.

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NFL Week 11 Power Rankings: Upsets rule, and a new team at the top

In the wake of an unlikely trio of upsets, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar assesses the hierarchy of the NFL’s 32 teams.

Some weeks in the NFL, a series of things surprise you. In Week 10, three 1-7 teams posted victories, giving hope to fans of some much-maligned squads.

The Jets beat the Giants, 34-27, as safety Jamal Adams became the sixth player since 2000 to record two quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and a touchdown in the same game. The Dolphins won their second straight game after an 0-7 start, besting the depleted Colts and proving that, at least to head coach Brian Flores and his players, any talk of tanking was pure bunk.

Then, the Falcons improbably whupped up on the Saints, sacking Drew Brees six times and holding New Orleans under 10 points in New Orleans for the first time since 1973.

None of these teams have realistic playoff hopes this season, but the ability to get your game together for even a short part of the season can provide some compelling narratives.

Here’s how all 32 teams stand in out Touchdown Wire’s Week 11 power rankings:

32-25 | 24-17 | 16-9 | 8-1

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49ers vs. Seahawks: 3 things that stood out in the 3rd quarter

The 49ers will have some work to do in the fourth quarter after Jimmy Garoppolo turned the ball over twice in the third quarter.

The 49ers will have some work to do in the fourth quarter after Jimmy Garoppolo turned the ball over twice in the third quarter. Seattle was able to capitalize on both turnovers, and turned both into touchdowns and a 21-10 lead.

Here’s what stood out in the third quarter.

Another forced fumble for the defense

After ending Seattle’s final drive of the first half with a fumble, the 49ers did it once again on Seattle’s opening drive of the second half. The Seahawks were moving the ball well against the San Francisco defense for the first time, but K’waun Williams punched the ball out of Rashaad Penny’s hands and DeForest Buckner picked it up. Seattle has started to move the ball against the 49ers defense, but the turnovers have now slowed Seattle twice.

49ers can’t take advantage of the takeaway

The offense had a huge chance to take control of the game following the fumble recovery, but couldn’t take advantage. They got into a decent spot with a fourth-and-2 in plus territory, but Jimmy Garoppolo overthrew Deebo Samuel for a turnover on downs. The offense hasn’t done much all night, and put a lot of pressure on the defense.

Off of Bourne’s hands, into Diggs’ and Seattle leads

Turnovers have played a huge role in the game, and Jimmy Garoppolo’s second interception of the contest led to Seattle taking the lead. On first-and-10, Garoppolo threw a pass that was high, intended for Kendrick Bourne, that Bourne could have caught, but it tipped off his fingers into the hands of Quandre Diggs who returned the ball to the 49ers 16-yard-line. The play proved costly as Seattle took the turnover and turned it into points with a touchdown to take their first lead.

49ers vs. Seahawks: 3 things that stood out in the 2nd quarter

One mistake from Jimmy Garoppolo turned the tide of the game and the 49ers hold onto a three point lead at the half. 

The final three minutes of the first half featured several swings, and when the dust settled the 49ers lead 10-7 at intermission. Seattle took momentum with a scoop-and-score from Jadeveon Clowney on a Jimmy Garoppolo fumble that provided the only scoring for the Seahawks. Seattle looked to take the lead, but a huge strip from Jaquiski Tartt ended that hope.

It’s a one-possession game with 30 minutes left. Here’s what stood out in the second quarter:

Warner’s first sack is a big one

Seattle’s offense was threatening to score for the first time with a third-and-4 inside 49ers territory when Fred Warner collected the first sack of his career. Mike Iupati left a hole wide open for Warner to not just bring up a fourth down, but knock Seattle out of field goal range.

Garoppolo’s athletic throw and Bourne’s moves lead to a first down

The 49ers faced a third-and-8 at their own 29-yard-line when Jadeveon Clowney wasted little time getting past Joe Staley to Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo quickly got rid of the ball to Kendrick Bourne four yards short of the marker, but Bourne made a few moves and got the first down to continue the drive. The series would only last three more plays until the 49ers had to punt.

Tartt’s takeaway changes tide

The Seahawks had all the momentum following a defensive touchdown and were driving the ball late in the quarter. Wilson hit DK Metcalfm who turned up field and powered through several would-be tacklers until Jaquiski Tartt stripped the ball prior forcing the turnover at the two-yard-line. The drive ended Seattle’s late push to take the lead before the half, and may have given the 49ers the momentum back.

49ers vs. Seahawks: 3 things that stood out in the 1st quarter

The 49ers dominated the opening 15 minutes opening up with a 10-0 lead. 

The 49ers dominated the first 15 minutes Monday night, opening up a 10-0 lead. The offense held the ball for 10:55 in the first quarter and held Seattle’s offense to just six plays.

Everything looked good to start. Here’s what stood out in the first quarter:

Too close of a call

The first drive appeared to end abruptly when Jimmy Garoppolo was intercepted by Shaquill Griffin, but Jamar Taylor was called for holding while Garoppolo still had the ball to wipe out the pick. The call was huge for the 49ers offense to allow them to hold on to the ball and continue the drive. Garoppolo was shaky on the opening series, completing three-of-seven passes.

Another bail out from Seattle

Three plays after the near interception, Garoppolo and the offense faced  a third-and-6 at the Seattle 45-yard-line when Garoppolo hit Emmanuel Sanders short of the first down marker. It would have given the 49ers an interesting fourth-and-short situation but Trey Flowers was called for pass interference to prolong the drive. The drive resulted in a 43-yard field goal from Chase McLaughlin to give the 49ers an early 3-0.

First defensive drive couldn’t have gone better

The 49ers defense spared little time making an impact against MVP candidate Russell Wilson, forcing Seattle to go three-and-out on their opening drive. The series was shut down on a third-and-2 when DJ Jones blew through center Joey Hunt to get to Wilson before the quarterback had a chance to even think.

The 49ers offense followed Seattle’s opening drive with a seven-play, 83-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown.

Jimmy Garoppolo busts out his own hip-thrusting warmup before MNF and fans had jokes

NFL QB hip warmup videos are now a thing.

So it looks like we have a new thing on our hands, and that thing is videos of NFL quarterbacks working on getting their hips warmed up before games.

This started Sunday night when the NBC SNF broadcast gave the world a great video of Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott doing an explosive hip-thrusting move before the game. Fans quickly had fun putting that to music and the hashtag #DakDancesToAnything was born.

Now we have another QB showing off his hips as 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo was seen doing something that looked like a Hula Hoop motion with the Hula Hoop before Monday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks:

Warming up hips is nothing new, as this video of Jimmy G from a game against the Rams picked up steam on Twitter on Monday afternoon:

49ers rookie defensive end Nick Bosa even gave it a shot, too:

Donovan McNabb, meanwhile, isn’t happy with jokes about this stuff.

But fans had jokes about Jimmy G’s moves:

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3 things to watch: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks have a chance to hand the San Francisco 49ers their first loss of the 2019 season on Monday night.

The Seattle Seahawks will play the biggest game of the 2019 season, at least so far, on Monday night when they take on the undefeated San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara.

The game has massive playoff implications for both teams, and will help reignite the rivalry between the two NFC west foes.

That alone is enough to make this one of the most compelling games of the entire NFL season, but for Seahawks fans, there are even more reasons to watch tonight.

The team could potentially debut both receiver Josh Gordon and defensive back Quandre Diggs, giving fans their first chance to see them in their new uniforms.

Russell Wilson’s quest for an MVP award continues tonight as well, another storyline that has everyone’s attention at this point in the season.

Here are some more notes on what to watch for in tonight’s NFC west showdown.

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