Kyle Shanahan took some responsibility for Jimmy Garoppolo’s bemusing and ultimately crucial safety in their Week 3 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Garoppolo handed Denver two points when he stepped out of the back of the endzone in the third quarter under pressure from an unblocked pass rusher. After executing a play-fake in the endzone, Garoppolo appeared to be setting up for a screen but he took a crucial extra hitch out of bounds, at that point cutting the Niners’ lead to 7-5.
In a game they went on to lose 11-10, the safety was essentially the difference in the game, but Shanahan refused to pin the blame on his quarterback.
Shanahan said in his post-game press conference of that play: “That was a tough situation I put him in, that unblocked guy coming, wish we’d had time for the big play and could have ditched it, but that was a tough situation I put him in.”
For his part, Garoppolo explained that his crucial error was a product of him trying to create more time for the play to develop.
“I was just running the play, trying to buy some time for it,” said Garoppolo “It was a longer developing play. Tough situation that whole thing.”
While the play-call may have been a questionable one, Garoppolo’s safety was undoubtedly the lowlight of a performance that served as a reminder of why the 49ers were ready to move on for him and roll with the now-injured Trey Lance.
Regardless of who is to blame, a play that will be remembered for a long time for the wrong reasons could go on to have significant implications for the 49ers’ playoff hopes in what looks like being another rollercoaster year. Garoppolo and the offense need to discover consistency to ensure it is not a play the Niners are looking back on come the end of the season.
