Jimmy Garoppolo benched after horrible first half for 49ers in his return from injury
The San Francisco 49ers wanted Jimmy Garoppolo back, particularly after Nick Mullens struggled last week.
Maybe the 49ers should have waited another week.
Garoppolo, coming off a two-game absence with a high ankle sprain, had a terrible first half for San Francisco as it fell behind 30-7 to the Miami Dolphins. Garoppolo threw a pair of interceptions, had a 15.7 passer rating and was pulled for C.J. Beathard.
#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told field reporter Lindsay Czarniak that he was going with C.J. Beathard to “protect” Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo was sacked three times and finished the first half with two bad interceptions.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) October 11, 2020
Garoppolo looked either rusty, still injured or both in the first half. He misfired on many passes, and could have easily had more than the two interceptions he had in the half. Garoppolo practically handed the Dolphins six points at the end of the first half, with two interceptions in San Francisco territory in the final two minutes before halftime.
After the second interception, coach Kyle Shanahan talked with Garoppolo on the sideline and either made the change then or did so at halftime.
It has been a rough start to the season for the 49ers. The defending NFC champions came into Week 5 with a 2-2 record, having fallen back to .500 with an upset loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week. They have taken on many injuries, including one to their quarterback. Getting Garoppolo back seemed like it would fix some of their issues.
Instead, Garoppolo’s return ended up putting San Francisco in a huge hole by halftime.
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