SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 19: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Championship game at Levi’s Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Jimmy Garoppolo barely had to lift a finger to help the 49ers win the NFC Championship. Can the San Francisco quarterback come up big in the Super Bowl?
The 49ers deserve a ton of credit for dominating the Packers on Sunday to earn a date with the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. Interestingly, the 49ers offense dominated Green Bay so much on the ground they barely needed Jimmy Garoppolo to throw. That means Garoppolo’s ability to play well on a big stage is still a major question mark for the 49ers.
Garoppolo’s ability to come up big when his team needs him the most might be San Francisco’s only question heading into the big game. Everything else was clicking for Kyle Shanahan’s team against the Packers. Raheem Mostert’s breakout performance to the tune of 220 yards on 29 carries with four touchdowns put the game out of reach early. That’s why Garoppolo only had to throw eight passes on the night.
The Chiefs may not sport the most dominating defense in the NFL, but they did manage to hold Derrick Henry to only 69 rushing yards in their victory over the Titans in the AFC Championship Game. Stopping Mostert and the 49ers rushing attack will be a huge priority during Kansas City’s Super Bowl preparation.
That means the Chiefs will do everything they can to force Garoppolo into stressful situations. Expect the Chiefs’ defensive game plan to revolve around forcing the relatively unproven signal-caller to beat them through the air. It’s possible Garoppolo can come up big when the lights shine the brightest, but it’s impossible to know how he’ll respond until he’s tested in a big game.
The 49ers must be really thoughtful regarding their offensive game plan to make sure they put Garoppolo into a position to succeed. A big part of that will be working to establish their ground game early, but they can’t afford to allow Garoppolo to be a spectator early on. He needs to be given some easy throws in the first quarter to build up his confidence against Kansas City’s athletic secondary.
In fairness to Garoppolo, there’s nothing he can do before the big game arrives to prove he’s ready to handle the pressure of the Super Bowl. He got a free pass in the NFC Championship Game. Garoppolo won’t be so lucky against the Chiefs. Time will tell whether he can prove to everyone that he’s not the 49ers’ weakest link.