10 throws from Jimmy Garoppolo against the Bengals: The only thing changing is the result

It’s somewhat comical by now when you re-watch Jimmy Garoppolo. You know what’s going to happen. You just don’t know the result. Jimmy will make 4-5 impressive throws throughout the game. He’ll miss a few receivers due to an inaccurate throw while neglecting to throw the ball down the field periodically.

Against the Bengals, Garoppolo was the most aggressive he’s been all season. There were eight attempts over 15 yards, five of those being completions. If you’re Kyle Shanahan, you’ll take this throwing chart every game:

Garoppolo also had the fifth-most time to throw this week, at 2.99 seconds per Next Gen Stats, which would explain more passes down the field.

There will always be head-scratching decisions with Jimmy under center. The dropped interception toward the end of the game seems inevitable at this point. It’s happened every game. The only thing that has changed is the result. You could say the same with open receivers not getting the ball down the field or Garoppolo coming up in the clutch when his team needed him to make a throw.

In the video breakdown below, I highlight ten throws from the Bengals game. Of course, there are always good, bad, impressive, and “oh no” throws. More than ever, we had some of the best sideline “Shanahan Shenagians” this week.

That wasn’t all because of Jimmy. The offense struggled to move the ball Sunday. Kyle had to be frustrated with everything that went on and vented with his emotions. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Here’s the full video:

Knowing that this is the version we’ll see from Jimmy in the playoffs since this is the version we’ve seen all season, does his up and down play give you confidence in the 49ers playoff chances? At some point, he’ll have to make a throw. He’s done so during the past few weeks.

On the other hand, it’s all well and good when you can do that against a team like the Vikings or the Bengals — two teams knocking at the door at the playoff race — but the Green Bay’s and Tampa Bay’s of the NFL might not be as forgiving.