San Francisco 49ers must chart a way forward without Garoppolo

The San Francisco 49ers lose quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the season as they lose to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-27.

The San Francisco 49ers went into Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City with hopes of going toe-to-toe with the Kansas City Chiefs in what promised to be an exciting, high-scoring game.

What happened was a worst-case scenario though, as the 49ers lost both the game and their quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, with a season-ending ACL injury.

Despite being underdogs, the Niners had reason for optimism. Linebacker Reuben Foster was back in the lineup after missing the first two games due to suspension. Running back Matt Breida was the league’s leading rusher. And the porous Chiefs defense had given up 65 points in the first two games.

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That optimism was snuffed out early, however, as Kansas City came out and punched the 49ers in the mouth in the first half. The Chiefs scored five touchdowns in their first five possessions.

Not much went right for the Niners in the first half. George Kittle and Pierre Garcon dropped passes. On defense, tackling continued to be a problem.

There was a questionable 32-yard defensive pass interference call on the 49ers K’Waun Williams in the end zone that led to the Chiefs second touchdown.

That was part of an overall effort that saw San Francisco rack up 106 penalty yards in the first half as the Chiefs ran roughshod over them.

A 35-yard touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Kyle Juszczyk was a rare 49er early highlight. But to finish off the disastrous first half, Richard Sherman injured his calf and would not return.

Kansas City went up 35-10 at the half.

The second half started out much better, as the 49ers forced the Chiefs into consecutive three-and-outs. Meanwhile, San Francisco scored touchdowns on their first two drives. The 49ers were moving the ball while also shutting down Kansas City’s offense. The first half rout suddenly turned into a competitive game.

The Niners were down 38-24 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. On a third-and-goal, Garoppolo scrambled out of the pocket and planted his left leg awkwardly as Justin Houston hit him near the sideline.

Garoppolo tore his left ACL on the play, ending his season.

While Garoppolo had plenty of opportunity to go out of bounds safely, his ACL injury was not a result of contact, and occurred prior to the hit by Houston. In the heat of battle, with a quarterback eager to prove himself, Garoppolo’s decision to extend the play proved to be an unwise one.

To add insult to injury, 49ers backup quarterback CJ Beathard‘s touchdown pass to George Kittle on the very next play was waved off by another questionable penalty call, this time an offensive pass interference call on Juszczyk.

The game ended with the Chiefs winning 38-27.

The San Francisco 49ers started the season with a new hope. Coach Kyle Shanahan was entering his second season with the team. The Niners acquired Jerick McKinnon from the Minnesota Vikings and designated him as their starting running back. And the 49ers acquired cornerback Richard Sherman giving the defense some much needed veteran leadership.

Three games into the season, Garoppolo and McKinnon are done and Sherman is out for at least two to three weeks with a calf injury. The 49ers will turn to Beathard, the second-year quarterback who started five games last year and went 1-4.

It’s hard to be optimistic about the 49ers’ prospects for the rest of this season, in light of what happened in this loss. Without their leaders on offense and defense, the Niners don’t appear to have the personnel to be competitive on Sundays.

San Francisco 49ers matchup with Kansas City will start to define the season. dark. Next

This season was especially important for Garoppolo’s development – he’s been in the league for five years but has only started eight games.

Garoppolo still has the potential to be a top quarterback, but will lose another year in the prime of his career.