The 49ers’ “revenge tour” got off to a slow start Sunday with a 24-20 loss to the Cardinals. It’s hard to put too much stock into Week 1 of the NFL season, but a few big-picture things stood out for San Francisco.
Jimmy Garoppolo struggles
The overall numbers don’t show that Garoppolo had a rough outing Sunday. He finished 19-33 for 259 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He wound up going just 8-17 in the second half though and outside the box score, missed a number of wide open receivers. The throw that stands out the most is an underthrow to Kendrick Bourne on the final drive where Bourne got in behind cornerback Patrick Peterson. Garoppolo found Bourne, but his throw came up short and hit Peterson’s helmet as he tried to catch up to the receiver. It wasn’t the worst game Garoppolo has played, but evidence of improvement the team hoped to see was not apparent.