An offensive savant for a head coach and the NFL’s No. 2 rushing attack overshadowed, and to some discredited, Jimmy Garoppolo’s first full season as a starting quarterback in the NFL. A lackluster postseason performance further overshadowed a very strong second half by the 49ers’ signal caller. All of those things aside, he still landed at No. 43 on the NFL’s list of the top 100 players for 2020.
So how did we get here if all of those things are stacked against the 49ers’ quarterback?
First, consider the stats. While they’re not the end-all, be-all, numbers do matter in the proper context.
Garoppolo finished the year with a 69.1 percent completion rate, 3,978 yards, 8.4 yards per attempt, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Had the 49ers not been part of so many lopsided victories, he would’ve likely cruised to breaking the franchise single-season record for passing yards, and his touchdowns might’ve crept up over 30. Garoppolo also finished the year with a 102.0 passer rating.
Rolling through the raw numbers, Garoppolo is among the top five or 10 in most categories, which helps explain his spot inside the top 50. The postseason wasn’t his best stretch of games, but he might’ve been the Super Bowl MVP if one or two more passes get completed late in that contest.
Where things get interesting though is looking across the back half of last season when Emmanuel Sanders arrived and Garoppolo had half a year of game action on his surgically repaired ACL.
Through seven games Garoppolo was averaging 7.9 yards per attempt on 27 attempts per game. He was on pace for 3,403 yards, 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
His final nine games were a different story. His yards per attempt jumped to 8.7 with his attempts climbing to 31.9 a game. His 16-game pace went to 4,425 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. If he does that for the entire 2020 season and the 49ers win the NFC West again — he’ll be in the MVP conversation.
Again, context matters though. More than half of Garoppolo’s yards came after the catch. His turnover rate was too high, and a lot of his best work came on throws over the middle. There are most likely a lot of NFL quarterbacks who could post numbers in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Where Garoppolo’s non-quantifiable qualities show are in games and moments that got overlooked last season. He came through in a number of key situations.
The 49ers won two games against the Cardinals where they averaged 29 points per game, and amassed only 135 rushing yards. Garoppolo sealed the first victory by converting three third downs on the game-ending drive in Arizona. He won the next one with a game-winning touchdown pass in the waning seconds against a heavy Cardinals blitz.
In Week 14 against a very good Saints team in a raucous Superdome, Garoppolo led the 49ers back from two 13-point deficits, and completed a fourth-and-2 throw to George Kittle in the final minute that the tight end took into field goal range to help the 49ers win it as time expired.
In Week 16 against the Rams Garoppolo completed a pair of third-and-16 throws to put the 49ers in position to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Then in Week 17 he had a sensational performance against the Seahawks in Seattle. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass, but he completed 18 of 22 throws for 282 yards with no turnovers.
The run game deserves a lot of credit for the 49ers’ offensive success last year, and it’s true that there are several quarterbacks who could run the 49ers’ system. There’s an intangible quality Garoppolo carries though that makes him a popular teammate, and helps him lead the league in fourth-quarter comebacks.
The good news for the 49ers is that last year isn’t likely to be Garoppolo’s ceiling. He’s had an offseason to simply focus on improving as a quarterback rather than rehabbing a torn ACL, and his 27 attempts per game for the first seven weeks last year should climb now that he’s healthy going into the year.
All signs are pointing up for Garoppolo and the 49ers’ passing attack, and barring an unforeseen meltdown, he could find himself even higher on this list next season.