Despite not finishing a drive, the San Francisco 49ers had a lot to like on offense. In case you didn’t hear, after losing to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, they managed to have some nice offensive output despite only putting up six points in two and a half quarters.
We’ll do what we’ve done the last two weeks and look at each snap Garoppolo had. This is the last time we’re doing this because the regular season begins and you aren’t seeing Garoppolo on Thursday.
First Series
1st and 10, Indianapolis 49-yard line
Garoppolo hands the ball off to our man of the day, Alfred Morris. Morris bounces around like a pinball for 17 yards, but the play is called back due to illegal formation.
1st and 15, San Francisco 46-yard line
Garoppolo hands it off to the Alfred Morris show again, after a quick hit where he might have fell in the backfield, Morris goes for 11 yards.
2nd and 4, Indianapolis 3-yard line
Garoppolo does a quick play action and sets up to pass. He looks to his checkdown, Raheem Mostert and dumps it off. Too bad Mostert couldn’t hold onto it. There is no excuse to not catching it. Zero. It was a checkdown, Mostert was wide open, and the ball bounced off his pads. Exhibit A of why Mostert might be looking for a job come Friday.
3rd and 4, Indianapolis 3-yard line
From the shotgun, Garoppolo tries to go deep to Marquise Goodwin who is down the sidelines and a few feet in front of the defender, but overshoots him for an incompletion.
Second series
1st and 10, San Francisco 19-yard line
Under center, Garoppolo goes play action and flings a dart to Pierre Garçon for 15 yards and an immediate tackle. Nice throw and nice gain.
1st and 10, San Francisco 34-yard line
Simple handoff to Morris and a simple four yards
2nd and 6, San Francisco 38-yard line
The notorious Garçon interception. Garoppolo fakes a handoff to Morris and lobs a pass that would later be intended for Goodwin. Garçon plucks it out of the sky in a weird war zone of Colts and Niners defenders, and takes off for 47 yards. His second and final catch of the day, and one that put the 49ers into the red zone.
1st and 10, Indianapolis 15-yard line
Morris with a handoff for three yards. It’s this point where you realize the worst gains for Morris are only dreamed about by Joe Williams/Jeremy McNichols.
2nd and 7, Indianapolis 12-yard line
Another handoff to Morris who gets it within one yard of the marker.
3rd and 1 Indianapolis 6-yard line
Garoppolo fakes another handoff and tries to nail Garrett Celek with a screen pass. Celek only gets one hand on it. Partly on Garoppolo, partly on Celek. It’s 4th down.
4th and 1 Indianapolis 6-yard line
Garoppolo goes under center and fires a ball out quickly to Kendrick Bourne. The ball bounces off Bourne and into the end zone.
Third series
1st and 10, San Francisco 42-yard line
Garoppolo hands off to Morris and Morris barrels down the field for 11 yards. Who is Joe Williams?
1st and 10, Indianapolis 47-yard line
Another handoff to Morris who takes it for nine yards.
2nd and 1, Indianapolis 38-yard line
Yet another handoff where Morris takes it another nine yards. What is the running back position at this point?
1st and 10, Indianapolis 29-yard line
Jeff Wilson gets the handoff, barrelling for seven yards. Who is Jeff Wilson? Well he just got sven yards by dive-bombing the Colts. That should tell you something about the Colts defense.
2nd and 3, Indianapolis 22-yard line
Another handoff to Wilson and we get our second penalty of the night. Laken Tomlinson for holding.
2nd and 13, Indianapolis 32-yard line
Garoppolo takes a deep (looks like eight steps) drop back and slings the ball to the sidelines towards Marquise Goodwin. Excellent effort by Goodwin who had to launch into the air to get the ball. Goodwin is pushed out of bounds and it looks like he may have caught the ball out of bounds. The 49ers snap the ball on the next play quickly to stop a challenge from changing things.
1st and 10, Indianapolis 17-yard line
A quick handoff dialed up to dodge a challenge flag. Morris runs around the end and picks up five.
2nd and 5, Indianapolis 12-yard line
Another handoff to Morris who gets it a few yards away from the end zone via dodging defenders. Unfortunately, Pierre Garçon got called for holding.
2nd and 12, Indianapolis 19-yard line
Garoppolo goes back and quickly fires a dart down the middle to Cole Hikutini who then drops what the announcers were calling a touchdown pass. Forget the fact the safety “punched” the ball out, you gotta hold onto that one. C’mon man.
3rd and 12, Indianapolis 19-yard line
Garoppolo again goes back and fires the ball out on the same route to the same tight end, this time the ball isn’t even in Hikutini’s zip code and the 49ers have to kick a field goal.
Fourth series
1st and 10, San Francisco 18-yard line
Garoppolo throws down the middle just as he gets shoulder bashed by John Simon and goes down. The ball is nearly picked off by Darius Leonard. The pass ducks to the ground as Leonard pouts about missing that one.
2nd and 10, San Francisco 18-yard line
Handoff to Morris who picks up another four yards. Good lord.
3rd and 6, San Francisco 22-yard line
Garoppolo throws yet another ball down the center of the field. This one is caught by Goodwin where he is popped and brought down. A 19 yard gain and another display of the playcalling. How may darts down the middle can they call?
1st and 10, San Francisco 41-yard line
Garoppolo boots out and takes off around the tackles for 8 yards. And they said he couldn’t run.
2nd and 2, San Francisco 49-yard line
Garoppolo drops back with an unblocked Colts defender coming into his face, he dumps the ball off to Garrett Celek who makes the catch this time (yay!). Unfortunately, all that work gets Celek a single yard.
3rd and 1, 50-yard line
Morris shuffles up for two yards. Series continues.
1st and 10, Indianapolis 48-yard line
Wilson bounces through the tackles and picks up another five yards. At this point one has to wonder if this is the 49ers or the Colts.
2nd and 5, Indianapolis 43-yard line
Wilson runs around the guards for another four yards.
3rd and 1, Indianapolis 39-yard line
Alfred Morris comes back into the game and rushes around the guards for another three yards.
1st and 10, Indianapolis 36-yard line
Another handoff to Morris. This one only goes for a yard as he had a couple defenders waiting for him. The Alfred Morris Show has gone to commercial.
2nd and 9, Indianapolis 35-yard line
Garoppolo goes under center and flings a ball out as he drops back to Goodwin for six yards. The defender was almost attached to Goodwin, but it was a nice catch.
3rd and 3, Indianapolis 29-yard line
Garoppolo takes a three step drop and looks before defenders come his way. It looks like Weston Richburg takes the most threatening one and levitates him out of harms way. Garoppolo moves a bit in the pocket and fires down the center (again) to Cole Wick for 11 yards.
1st and 10, Indianapolis 18-yard line
Garoppolo takes a deep drop back and slings it to Kyle Juszczyk for seven yards. The Colts get slapped with a five-yard penalty for hands to the face.
1st and 10, Indianapolis 13-yard line
Garoppolo throws a quick bubble screen to Garçon who gets four yards.
2nd and 6, Indianapolis 9-yard line
In the gun, Garoppolo throws from the pocket to the sidelines. It looked like a pass Taylor should have caught but, Kenny Moore had some magic in getting the thing batted away from Taylor’s hands.
3rd and 6, Indianapolis 9-yard line
Another shotgun and Garoppolo tries forcing a ball to Trent Taylor. Darius Leonard almost picks Garoppolo off, but times it wrong dropping the pass. No one can catch Garoppolo’s passes on offense or defense. Such a LONG drive capped with a field goal. *sigh*
Fifth Series
1st and 10, San Francisco 25
Garoppolo hands it off to Morris who finally gets a negative yardage stop as defenders swarm him just as he secures it.
2nd and 12, San Francisco 23
Garoppolo takes a drop and checks down to Juszczyk who takes it for 11 yards.
3rd and 1, San Francisco 34
From the Shotgun, Garoppolo hands off to Morris who gets two yards and then bulldozed back about 10. Forward progress gives him the first down.
1st and 10, San Francisco 36
Garoppolo takes a quick drop back and goes to Juszczyk rather quickly for another quick 10 yards with little running room.
1st and 10, San Francisco 46
Morris tries a patient run up the center, but only manages three yards. Then a holding penalty on Tomlinson comes in, pushing the 49ers back.
1st and 17, San Francisco 39
From the gun, Garoppolo has nice space and a pocket, throwing it to Celek. Celek does his best Vance McDonald impression and fails to haul the ball in. Another catch that was unacceptable and could have gotten the penalized yardage back.
2nd and 17, San Francisco 39
Alfred Morris takes off for 10 yards, resuming his episodic show of awesomeness.
3rd and 7, San Francisco 49
Garoppolo drops back and quickly is flushed out. Rather than try throwing, he runs out of bounds and takes a one-yard loss. Richburg is flagged for illegal blindside block. Garoppolo’s night is done.
Final thoughts
Long drives ruined by the 49ers inability to finish. If only Garoppolo’s receivers could catch and if the team as a whole could finish. The Mostert and Celek catches are inexcusable given how open they were and where the ball was placed. Those are the moments the 49ers had to make count.
Still, look at how long those drives are. The 49ers can sustain drives. It’s the most optimistic we can be about a six point offense.
If only they could finish their drives.