San Francisco 49ers: Complete grades for Week 1 victory over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
By Justin Fried
1. Offense
Even though the 49ers came away with the victory, this was not the start to the season that they likely envisioned from their offense.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo struggled mightily all game completing 66% of his passes, but throwing for just 166 yards. The 27-year-old signal-caller didn’t look comfortable in the pocket as the Buccaneers blitz packages forced some errant throws.
One of said throws was tossed directly into the awaiting hands of cornerback Vernon Hargreaves who jumped a perfectly-telegraphed hitch route and took it into the end zone for a pick-six. It was far from Garoppolo’s only blemish on the afternoon, but it was his most costly.
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The running game didn’t really do too much as the offensive line was never able to open up many holes for them. Meanwhile, Garoppolo was constantly under pressure as a result of an offensive line that was wholly overwhelmed by Todd Bowles‘ defense.
The offense was bailed out by four turnovers and numerous costly penalties, but it’s hard to see the 49ers winning too many games with their offense playing this poorly.
If there was one silver lining, it was that star tight end George Kittle who hauled in eight catches for 54 yards proving that he’s still one of the best playmakers in the league, even with his teammates sputtering.
San Francisco will need a much better performance next week and in the future if they are going to contend for a playoff spot this season.
Final Grade: D+