49ers and Broncos give us little offense on Sunday Night Football
The San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos totally mailed the offense on Sunday Night Football. Even for some fans (like me) who still enjoy a defensive battle sometimes, it’s hard to focus on this one. The passing of games was despicable for both teams, and Jimmy Garoppolo made the best impression on Dan Orlovsky when he made 12 backs to the bottom of the end area for safety.
Garoppolo’s stupidity was a lifesaver in that moment. In the play, Jimmy G hurls a pass over his intended target and into the hands of Broncos midfielder Bradley Chubb, who ran it for a pick-six was denied by safety. It’s the special Garoppolo/Orlovsky right there.
But hey, this is what BILLeam Jimmy fans and many media personalities want. Everyone thought Garoppolo should still be QB, even though the world has seen him cross the ceiling so many times. The 49ers would probably have won this game if this safety hadn’t happened. The score can still be bad, but a win is a win. Instead, Jimmy G put out QBR 14.2 in a losing attempt.
Things don’t get any better on the opposite side of Russell Wilson. DangeRuss posted a QBR of 32.9 and passed only 184 yards. Wilson actually has a lower passer rating than Garoppolo (81.2) of 75.8. Neither number is good, but the Broncos are on a two-game winning streak following Sunday night’s win.
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This game was a mix of good defensive plays and sloppy offense. There wasn’t a lot of scoring, but not necessarily because both defenses shut everything down. Both quarterbacks were missing passes (badly at times), and guys were dropping balls and fumbling. It was just messy. Denver lost two fumbles, and Wilson threw one interception. And it’s not like there were a ton of penalties in this game as they combined for 12. The Cowboys will surpass that by themselves Monday night against the Giants.
Ultimately, this was ugly and not what the NFL wanted to present in primetime. Sunday Night Football has become what Monday Night Football was 25 years ago. The biggest matchups have been on NBC every Sunday night for the past 15 years. Two huge brands with “marquee” QBs, and that’s what they gave fans.
Denver might be the luckiest 2-1 team going right now and really could be 3-0. So far, it’s not looking like Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett’s offense are too compatible. It could have just been a familiar and confusing issue with his receiver and offense in general to Wilson. Luckily for the Broncos, the next three games on the schedule are the Raiders, Colts and Chargers. And Justin Herbert is dealing with broken ribs right now, so who knows what his condition will be in a few weeks.
San Francisco, on the other hand, is stuck with Garoppolo. That’s what they ask and want, so it’s hard to empathize. Niners can’t or don’t purchase Jimmy G for whatever reason, and now he’s back in the lineup because of Trey Lance’s terrible leg injury. After Week 1, everyone called for Garoppolo to replace Lance before he was injured. So Team Jimmy, your wish has come true, and you’ve got him for all his glorious Sunday nights. Good luck, Niners.
Even after witnessing this festival of vomiting, I expect both teams to make a splash after the season in their respective games. We know Garoppolo will win some games, but we also know he will only get past the 49ers so far before he has another like Sunday night. The Wilson-Hackett combination remains a mystery, as it’s only had three games. If they can get together, Russ is on the right track with his receivers, and they knock off some revenue, the Broncos could be a real contender in January.