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Should the 49ers’ worst fears about Jimmy Garoppolo’s knee injury be realized, there are still reasons for the team and its fans to maintain hope.
Yes, losing their $137.5 million quarterback for the season would be devastating, but one could argue the 49ers showed some very encouraging signs in their 38-27 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.
Saddled with a 1-2 record and awaiting Monday’s MRI results on Garoppolo’s left knee, here’s how an optimist would reassure the 49er Faithful after a Sunday to forget:
1. C.J. Beathard may not be a bad alternative at quarterback.
Beathard is no Garoppolo, but in his one snap Sunday after Jimmy G’s injury the second-year quarterback displayed the toughness and resolve of someone who could fill in adequately.
OK, Beathard won just one of his six starts last year and had very pedestrian numbers — completing 55% of his passes with four touchdowns and six interceptions for a 69.2 quarterback rating. But that was last year.
Beathard entered Sunday’s game with 5 1/2 minutes left and the 49ers trailing by 14 points, and facing a fourth-and-goal from the Chiefs 7. All Beathard did was coolly step up and find tight end George Kittle in the corner of the end zone for an apparent touchdown. Only a dubious-at-best pass interference call on 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk prevented the score that would have made it 38-31.
The 49ers had to settle for a field goal and Beathard never got another chance to show what he could do as the Chiefs ran out the clock. Kyle Shanahan said he’s comfortable if, as most everyone expects, Beathard takes over beginning next week against the Chargers.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in C.J.,” Shanahan said after saying how disappointed he is for Garoppolo’s plight. “(Beathard) came in today and made a helluva throw on fourth down. No hesitation.
“C.J.’s a gamer,” he added. “Everyone in here has a ton of respect for C.J. and how he handles himself. He’s a man out there and a very good quarterback and we’re fortunate to have him.”
2. The 49ers defense bounced back.
Don’t let the 38 points allowed fool you, the 49ers defense rose to the occasion after a dreadful start. After allowing Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to score touchdowns on their first five possessions of the first half, San Francisco’s defense said enough’s enough.
The Chiefs may have gained 295 yards while racing to a whopping 35-7 lead in the first half, but after that the 49ers held Kansas City to just three points and only 89 yards the rest of the way.
Factoring in how badly the 49ers were early on, overall it wasn’t a bad effort at all against a team that came into the contest setting offensive records and averaging 40 points per game. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s group gave the 49ers a chance to actually win the game in the fourth quarter, which no one who saw the game’s first 20 minutes or so would have guessed.
It wasn’t as if the high-powered Chiefs shut things down once ahead, either. Sunday’s second-half showing by the defense certainly adds some optimism.
3. The officials didn’t help the 49ers.
OK, laying blame on the guys in the black & white shirts after giving up 38 points may not be a good look, but the fact remains a bad call against the 49ers ended what could have been an epic comeback.
What if Juszczyk wouldn’t have been flagged for a questionable push off away from the play? Beathard’s clutch TD pass to Kittle would have made it 38-31 and the defense would’ve been one stop away from giving the 49ers a real shot to tie things up.
Who knows if the 49ers could have pulled off the big comeback, but the fact remains San Francisco didn’t get a whole lot of help from the officials, who flagged the team 14 times for an eye-popping 147 yards. The 49ers were assessed the second-most penalty yards in any game this season. Only the Raiders and their 155 penalty yards in Week 1 against the Rams were flagged for more.
The odds are the 49ers won’t get penalized like this again very often.
4. The running game works.
The fear that losing Jerick McKinnon to a season-ending ACL injury would crippled the 49ers’ running attack didn’t appear warranted on Sunday.
San Francisco’s offensive line helped spring running backs Matt Breida (10 carries, 90 yards) and Alfred Morris (14 carries, 67 yards) for 157 of the team’s 178 rushing yards. Breida and Morris combined to average 6.5 yards per carry.
Breida was able to break off runs of 26, 21 and 13 yards despite missing a chunk of the game with a banged-up right knee.
It must be noted those gaudy ground gains came against a Chiefs defense that hasn’t excelled this season, still no one’s accusing the 49ers of having a run-down offense anymore.
5. Reuben Foster can still be a difference-maker.
In his first game back from a two-game suspension, the 49ers’ linebacker showed he can still make an impact. The hard-hitting second-year standout had seven tackles, including six solo stops and a pass defended on Sunday.
Critics may point out Foster had trouble stopping Travis Kelce, who had a handful of his eight catches for 114 yards against him, but who can stop the Chiefs All-Pro tight end?
With the 49ers’ offense compromised with the loss of Garoppolo hanging over it, it’s safe to say the defense is going to have to step up to help save the season. Foster showed more glimpses Sunday that he’ll be able to do more than his share.
