49ers rush to defend Jimmy Garoppolo from all the haters after win over Packers

The 49ers were quick to defend their quarterback on Sunday night, though it’s unclear what they’re defending him from.

The San Francisco 49ers are 10-1, yet have faced a bit of scrutiny after some less-than-convincing wins. Some of that scrutiny, however small it is, has been fixed on the team’s quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo.

Is it deserved? Maybe? But also the 49ers are 10-1, and it’s clear they’re trying to find anything to sink their teeth into and get them motivated. Even 10-1 teams need to channel that “nobody believes in us” energy, and so the 49ers have chosen to fixate on the criticism of Garoppolo’s play this season.

After the 49ers beat the Packers convincingly on Sunday night, 38-7, the San Francisco players heaped praise upon Garoppolo.

First came tight end George Kittle, who is playing through a horrifying sounding injury, on the speech he credits Garoppolo with lifting them over the Packers.

Here’s Kittle, via B/R:

“I think my favorite thing in the game was, I think it was after our third drive, we scored right away then had two three-and-outs that weren’t very good. Jimmy got the whole offense together. He was like: ‘Hey, you gotta play with intensity. Our defense is playing their asses off, and we’ve just got to take advantage of the opportunities they’re giving us. Because Aaron Rodgers is one heck of a quarterback, a Hall of Fame quarterback. We just can’t give him the opportunity to come back and beat us.’

Then next came Richard Sherman, who by the sound of his speech made it seem like the entire punditry class was saying Garoppolo should be kicked out of the league and thrown in a dumpster. Again, not sure that’s the case!

Here was Sherman’s speech.

The transcript:

“You hear some of the noise and things said about him, and it’s frustrating, because we see him every day. We see what kind of work ethic he puts in, the hours he puts in preparing — the first one in, the last one out. The guy looks for no credit. All he does is encourage his teammates and put more work in.

“And then you have people nit-picking. We run for 300 yards, and they’re like, ‘Well, he didn’t throw a lot.’ We ran for 300 yards! You know, then he throws for 400, and they’re like, ‘Well, I think he got out-played by Kyler Murray.’ And Kyler Murray barely had 100 yards passing. And you start to laugh at these things, but you’re like, the goalposts keep moving with him.

“And the one thing you can appreciate — and I’ve said this before — you can appreciate being good enough that people got to make excuses for why you’re good. He’s a good enough quarterback that people have to make excuses, they have to move the bar.

“…What else can the guy do? He’s helping his team win.”

Are people really being that critical of Garoppolo? He had a shaky preseason, and he had an awful game against the Seahawks. But other than that, he’s been fine, which is all the 49ers need him to be.

My colleague Steven Ruiz ranked him 15th in our NFL quarterback ranking, which seems more or less fair to me. He’s got a quick release and can make good throws and sometimes makes iffy decisions. That’s not bad for a starting QB! A lot of teams would happily take that.

Still, teams need bulletin board material, I suppose. My guess is that the 49ers seized on criticism of Garoppolo before the game, and found some pundit who said that Aaron Rodgers is better than he is. (Which is true!) They then won the game, and then used the mics given to them afterward to tell all the haters how wrong they were.

Which, who am I to criticize. Whatever it takes, right?

[vertical-gallery id=872019]

George Kittle is thriving while playing through a very painful-sounding ankle injury

What a performance.

George Kittle had a huge game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night after missing two games due to ankle and knee injuries, a six-catch, 129-yard contest that included a 61-yard score.

Yet the reports — per ESPN — indicated that he broke a bone in his ankle against the Arizona Cardinals back in Week 9, something he played through in that game.

Before the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he would have designated Kittle as “doubtful,” but the tight end came into the SNF matchup and played.

After Kittle’s incredible performance, Shanahan described exactly what was going on, and it sounds awful. Via the Sacramento Bee:

“It’s like a piece of tree bark came off,” Shanahan said. “It was just a shaved part of the bone came off and when you do that, it’s still stable. You can’t break it worse and you’re able to go with it, but it’s extremely painful.”

“It’s football. It’s fine,” Kittle also said. “It’s a mindset. You just have to go out and play football. That’s all it is.”

Look at what he was doing on that ankle:

Wow.

[opinary poll=”will-the-ravens-win-the-super-bowl_forth” customer=”forthewin”]

Studs and duds from 49ers’ 37-8 thumping of Packers

We’re running out of superlatives to describe how dominating the 49ers can be. 

We’re running out of superlatives to describe how dominant the 49ers can be. Green Bay never really stood a chance after fumbling on the third play of the game, and never really threatened the 49ers after 57 seconds of game time. The 49ers took their first lead 1:58 into the game and never once looked back on their way to a 37-8 romp. Sunday night was the best win of the season against the best team they’ve played.

There were plenty of studs with a few duds in San Francisco’s victory over the Packers:

Studs: The entire defense

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

There were plenty of individual studs Sunday night, but the defense as a whole deserves the recognition here. They held the Packers, a team that averages 25 points and 356 yards per game, to just eight points and 198 yards. Aaron Rodgers threw for just 104 yards, the fewest yards he’s thrown for in his career minimum 30 passes, and he set a new low with 3.2 yards per attempt. The defense set the tone with a forced fumble on the first drive and never once lost that momentum.

Aaron Rodgers didn’t complete a pass beyond 10 yards vs. 49ers

The 49ers locked down Aaron Rodgers on Sunday Night Football.

The 49ers’ defense was dominant Sunday night against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. San Francisco held Rodgers to 104 yards and 3.2 yards per attempt in one of the worst outings of his career.

Perhaps the stat most indicative of the 49ers’ defensive dismantling of the Hall of Fame quarterback was provided by ESPN’s Next Gen Stats.

Rodgers didn’t complete a pass that traveled at least 10 yards in the air:

There were a couple reasons for this.

First, San Francisco’s coverage down the field was terrific. Jimmie Ward knocked two downfield throws away, including a deep shot to Jimmy Graham that was in the tight end’s hands before the safety wrestled it away.

The pass rush was another reason for the lack of throws down the field. Rodgers didn’t have time to sit back and find receivers beyond 10 yards. He had to get rid of the ball to avoid the onslaught of 49ers pass rushers that spent most of the game in the backfield.

Holding Rodgers to such limited production is perhaps the most impressive thing the 49ers defense has done all season, and a tribute to how good they are up front and in the secondary.

Richard Sherman put clamps on Davante Adams

Richard Sherman was dominant against Packers WR Davante Adams on Sunday.

Packers wide receiver Davante Adams didn’t have his best night against the stingy 49ers pass defense. He had seven catches for 43 yards and a touchdown in one of his least productive games of the year.

Part of the reason for his lack of production was veteran cornerback Richard Sherman. The All-Pro corner allowed one catch for seven yards on two targets in 16 coverage snaps vs. Adams according to ESPN’s Next Gen Stats.

There was a lot of concern that the 31-year-old might start seeing a dip in productivity as he entered his 30s coming off a torn Achilles. His second year back from that Achilles injury has been even better than the first, and the four-time Pro Bowler is again playing at an elite level.

Sherman was flagged for a pair of fairly soft penalties on the Packers’ scoring drive, but was flawless other than that Sunday night.

Aaron Rodgers is the type of quarterback who’ll take advantage of mistakes, and Adams is the kind of receiver who will turn a mistake into a big play. Sherman didn’t allow either player to get loose Sunday night while the 49ers defense as a whole gave up just 104 yards through the air.

San Francisco’s secondary benefits plenty from their pass rush, but showings like Sherman put together against Adams are evidence that the coverage on the back end has been just as good as the rush up front.

George Kittle playing through bone chip in ankle

George Kittle’s ankle is stable, but he’s playing through a bone chip he suffered Oct. 31 at Arizona.

It turns out 49ers tight end George Kittle is playing through a bone chip in his ankle. Head coach Kyle Shanahan informed the media of the extent of Kittle’s injury during his press conference after the 49ers’ 37-8 win over the Packers on Sunday night.

Kittle injured his ankle in the team’s Oct. 31 win in Arizona. He finished that game with six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. That ankle, combined with a knee injury that Shanahan classified as a “popped capsule,” kept Kittle out of two consecutive games.

Shanahan told reporters the ankle is stable, and that Kittle will have to play through the pain.

The bone chip didn’t hamper him in his return Sunday night against the Packers. He posted six catches on six targets for 129 yards and a touchdown. He was effective in all three levels of the passing game and looked like his pre-injury self running through and past would-be tacklers.

Kittle’s unlikely to be fully healthy the rest of the year, but if he keeps playing like he did Sunday night, he and the 49ers should be just fine.

6 takeaways from dominant 49ers’ win over Packers

The 49ers cruised to a 37-8 win over the Green Bay Packers, who entered the game as the No. 2 seed in the NFC. It was a thorough domination at Levi’s Stadium by the NFC’s top team as San Francisco moved to 10-1 for the season. Here’s what we took …

The 49ers cruised to a 37-8 win over the Green Bay Packers, who entered the game as the No. 2 seed in the NFC. It was a thorough domination at Levi’s Stadium by the NFC’s top team as San Francisco moved to 10-1 for the season.

Here’s what we took away from Sunday night:

49ers silence doubters

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers silenced a lot of talk about their weak strength of schedule going into Sunday night. They dominated from start to finish against the Packers and looked like the class of the NFC. In a week where the No. 3-seed Saints struggled to beat the Panthers, the 49ers’ domination of a No. 2-seed Green Bay club really stands out. San Francisco, if anyone still doubted it, is for real.

Notes and observations from 49ers 37-8 win vs. Packers

The 49ers dominated for 60 minutes against the Packers on Sunday Night Football.

It was total domination by the 49ers from start to finish Sunday night in a 37-8 romp over the No. 2 seeded Green Bay Packers at Levi’s Stadium.

Here’s our notes and observations from the win:

– Emmanuel Moseley is starting at cornerback even though Ahkello Witherspoon is fully healthy. Moseley’s played well since Witherspoon went down with a foot strain in Week 3.

– Fred Warner sacked Aaron Rodgers on the first third down of the game and forced a fumble that Nick Bosa recovered on the Packers’ 2-yard line. Tevin Coleman scored on the first play of the ensuing drive. That’s about as perfect of a start the 49ers could’ve hoped for.

– Another Packers third down attempt fails. Rodgers was under duress again and fired high over the middle. The pass bounced off his receiver’s hands and fell just outside the reach of a diving Jaquiski Tartt. San Francisco’s pass rush is flying around early in this one.

– A Deebo Samuel slant goes for 8 yards to open the 49ers’ second series. He’s dominant on that route thanks to his aggressiveness going toward the football.

– Another slant for a gain of 15 to Emmanuel Sanders. When their entire group of pass catchers is healthy, this passing attack gets whatever it wants in the middle of the field.

– Near disaster when Garoppolo mishandled a snap. Laken Tomlinson kicked the ball backwards, which allowed Tevin Coleman to dive on it for a loss of 8. Getting behind the sticks isn’t ideal, but it’s better than a turnover in that spot near the 50.

– DJ Jones’ presence is immediately felt in the run game. He has two tackles, both tackles for loss with 8:10 to go in the first quarter.

– Rodgers made a nice play to get the ball out under pressure on a blitz from Jaquiski Tartt. Arik Armstead strung the play out though and held Packers RB Jamaal Williams to a gain of 4.

– A delayed safety blitz on third-and-5 got to Garoppolo for a sack on San Francisco’s third possession, but an illegal hands to the face penalty extended the drive for San Francisco.

– Jeff Wilson Jr. went for 25 yards on his first carry. He’s gone for 50 yards his last two touches.

– Garoppolo had to throw one away on third-and-5 from the Packers’ 11 thanks to heavy pressure from Justin Skule’s side. Chase McLaughlin drilled a field goal to go ahead to 10-0.

– Nick Bosa had a free shot at Rodgers on a play action look, but Rodgers smartly spun away from the pressure and ran for a gain of four. He’s among the best in the league at sensing pressure on his blind side.

– The 49ers held on a third-and-13 thanks to a nice diving deflection by Jimmie Ward and another big stick by Emmanuel Moseley, who laid a big hit on second down. San Francisco’s defense is flying around. Green Bay hasn’t crossed their own 35

– Another sack for the Packers ends the first quarter. They hit Garoppolo a lot in the first 15 minutes.

– Two plays, 8 yards for the Packers to open the second quarter. They’ve made an adjustment. They’re still running and Rodgers is lookiinig to get the ball out quicker.

– Four plays, 43 yards. Green Bay’s offense  is cooking on now that they’re moving laterally. San Francisco struggles badly going sideline to sideline.

– Ahkello Witherspoon had great coverage one-on-one vs. Davante Adams to force an incompletion and bring up a third-and-8. They picked up seven on third down thanks to a nice tackle from Ward. Green Bay will go on fourth-and-1.

– They didn’t get it on an inside handoff. Another huge stop from the 49ers’ defense.

– Skule flagged for holding. He’s having a rough night.

– Now another sack given up by the rookie left tackle. Yikes.

– Fred Warner has really taken over as an emotional leader on the defense. He’s been on a different level since Kwon Alexander went down with a season-ending injury.

– Arik Armstead blasted Rodgers for his ninth sack of the year. He flew off the edge on a stunt with Bosa. That’s an unblockable play.

– Another great pass breakup from Jimmie Ward on a deep shot intended for Jimmy Graham. Graham had it, but Ward punched it out at the last second.

– Daniel Brunskill is in at left tackle after Skule got off to a terrible start.

– Just like that the 49ers get Kittle involved and he catches two balls for 40 yard as the clock winds inside five minutes to go in the first half. San Francisco needed three plays to get in the red zone after starting at their own 32.

– A quick jaunt to the red zone stalled out and McLaughlin kicked his second field goal of the night. It’s 13-0, 49ers.

– Two more throws Ahkello Witherspoon’s way. Two more incompletions.

– Dee. Bo. It’s a 42-yard touchdown pass with 58 second left in the half to go up 20-0. He took a throw over the middle and outran two defenders to the end zone. He’s developed into a real weapon over the last three weeks.

– Another sack. This time it’s Nick Bosa. The defensive line has been sensational through the first 30 minutes. They forced another punt with 33 seconds left in the half.

– Another field goal before the end of the half thanks to a 22-yard completion to Kittle after good starting field position. It’s 23-0 and San Francisco gets the ball to start the half.

– Green Bay is sticking with the run and quick pass plays to open the second half. They’ve had success with both, but get in trouble when they try to stretch the field vertically.

– Armstead gets another sack to bring up a third-and-8 near midfeidl on Green Bay’s first drive of the second half. Rodgers scrambled for four on third down to bring up a fourth-and-4. They’ll go for it.

– A huge gain on fourth down. Jamaal Williams leaked out of the backfield and Rodgers found him amid heavy pressure for a 15-yard catch-and-run. That’s a huge missed opportunity for San Francisco.  Rodgers manipulates the pocket so well with his feet though.

– A facemask by Dre Greenlaw puts the Packers into the red zone at the 49ers’ 11. It’s their first red zone trip of the game.

– Jimmie Ward recognized a quick throw to Davante Adams outside and blew the play up for no gain. Adams probably scores if Ward gets hung up on his block.

– Rodgers got pressured by Bosa on third-and-8, and scrambled for a gain of five.  An unnecessary roughness penalty on Richard Sherman gave Green Bay a first down at the 2. Multiple replays didn’t reveal anything penalty-worthy though.

– A touchdown on a shovel pass to Adams two plays later made it 23-6. They got the two-point conversion on another throw to Adams to make it 23-8. That call on Sherman is still baffling.

– That’s one way to answer.  14 yards to Kendrick Bourne. 61 yards to George Kittle. Six points. 49ers lead 30-8.

– It’s 30-8 at the end of the third quarter.

– The 49ers looked to have a stop on fourth-and-10 with 14:04 left in the fourth quarter, but K’Waun Williams was flagged for pass interference to extend the drive.

– Another sack for Armstead. This time he splits it with Jaquiski Tartt. It came on fourth-and-8 with 11:29 left, and gave the 49ers the football back with a chance to ice this one.

– Raheem Mostert provides the nail in the coffin. A 15-yard touchdown makes it 37-8. What a sensational showing from the 49ers.

49ers win over Packers opens door in NFC North

The Packers and Vikings are now both 8-3 with Green Bay having the tiebreaker.

The 49ers absolutely embarrassed the Packers on Sunday Night Football, and that’s great news for the Minnesota Vikings.

The loss drops the Packers to 8-3 on the season, the same record as the Vikings. Of course, Green Bay has the tiebreaker over Minnesota with its Week 2 win at Lambeau field. However, the two teams play again in Week 16 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Per FiveThirtyEight, the Vikings have a 91 percent chance to make the playoffs, while the Packers have a 90 percent chance. The Packers, however, have a 53 percent chance to win the division, while the Vikings have a 46 percent chance.

Here’s what the remaining schedule looks like for the two teams:

Vikings Packers
@ Seahawks @ Giants
vs. Lions vs. Redskins
@ Chargers vs. Bears
vs. Packers @ Vikings
vs. Bears @ Lions

The Packers look to have the easier schedule, but hey, crazy things happen in the NFL.