San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made the surprising decision to bench Jimmy Garoppolo. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Shanahan discusses decision to bench Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Dolphins

The San Francisco 49ers were demolished by Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Miami Dolphins 43-17 on Sunday after Jimmy Garoppolo was benched by Kyle Shanahan after two quarters at Levi's Stadium. 

Garoppolo was benched in favor of C.J. Beathard after the 49ers offense put up just seven points through two quarters of action. While it seemed like an easy decision for Shanahan to make, he revealed that Garoppolo's benching had more to do with lingering effects from his ankle injury. 

The 28-year-old struggled greatly in his return to the field after missing two games due to injury. Garoppolo completed seven-of-17 passes for 77 yards and two interceptions in the first half. As the offense struggled to move the ball, Garoppolo was both inaccurate and visibly uncomfortable in the pocket. 

While Garoppolo and the offense struggled, so did the defense, who is experiencing the effects of losing Nick Bosa to injury earlier in the season. The defense allowed Fitzpatrick to complete 22-of-28 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. 

With San Francisco now owning a 2-3 record heading into Week 6 against the 3-1 Los Angeles Rams, the team will be facing questions about the quarterback situation moving forward. 

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