Every throw graded: An ultimate scouting report of Jimmy Garoppolo

BEST GAME: Week 3 vs. Steelers (96.0 grade)

With a No. 2-ranked defense, above-average offensive line and a consistent run game, the 49ers rarely need Garoppolo to put them on his back. His performance against Pittsburgh was a major exception.

In the 24-20 win, the 49ers played one of their sloppier games of the season. Offensively, they committed five turnovers, including two Garoppolo interceptions that were mostly not his fault. One was a slightly inaccurate screen pass that should have been caught by running back Raheem Mostert. The second was an excellently placed under-pressure slant pass intended for Dante Pettis, but the ball was dislodged by Joe Haden and intercepted by Minkah Fitzpatrick. 

Pittsburgh's dominant front seven made life hellish for the San Francisco offense, as Garoppolo spent an average of just 2.38 seconds in the pocket, the second-lowest mark among starting quarterbacks that week. On the outside, San Francisco receivers struggled to get separation. The 49ers needed precision passing from Garoppolo, and that's what they got. Time after time, he came through with pressure-beating plays, consistently throwing with excellent velocity and placement over the middle.

San Francisco often left Pittsburgh defenders unblocked, forcing Garoppolo to make instant decisions coming out of play fakes. His ability to generate positive results in those situations is the primary reason his performance against the Steelers was so great. 

Here, Garoppolo has Fitzpatrick in his face as soon as he pivots out of the fake. He stays composed, setting and firing while taking a crushing hit (which drew an unnecessary roughness call). Garoppolo lofts it with beautiful touch just inches over the linebacker's outstretched arm, hitting Marquise Goodwin in stride for the 16-yard pickup.

WORST GAME: Week 13 at Ravens (29.3 grade)

In Week 13, the 49ers lost to the Ravens, 20-17, a gritty game many thought was a potential Super Bowl preview. San Francisco's defense was stellar, holding the Ravens to a regular-season-low at home for points and yardage (283). The blame for this defeat falls largely on Garoppolo.

When Garoppolo is struggling, he shows poor decision-making and ball placement on throws within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage -- worrying issues for a quarterback whose primary job is to efficiently manage the offense. In Baltimore, these problems were at the forefront of Garoppolo's poor performance.

On this 2nd-and-4 play, Garoppolo places the ball much too far inside on a short flat route to tight end George Kittle, throwing it into the hands of Tyus Bowser for what should have been an interception. What makes this play especially poor is that fullback Kyle Juszczyk (#44) was wide open for a first down on the left side, as Marlon Humphrey (#44) gave him a huge cushion. Ultimately, Garoppolo makes the wrong decision and throws a terrible ball from an unaffected pocket.

These mistakes were commonplace for Garoppolo throughout the game. Late in the first half, he stalled a potential touchdown drive with a pair of poor plays in the short game. On a 1st-and-5 from the Ravens' 37-yard line with 20 seconds left (San Francisco had three timeouts), Garoppolo scrambled for one yard while Kittle was wide open in the flat for a reception that would have went for at least 15 yards. On the next play, Garoppolo misfired to an open Emmanuel Sanders on a 12-yard out route while under no pressure.

Garoppolo somehow put up a good stat line (15-for-21, 165 yards, 7.9 yards per attempt, one touchdown). But it was one of his most overrated performances of the season. In addition to his interception, Garoppolo lost a fumble, and his lone TD pass was an amazing catch by Deebo Samuel on a 50-50 jump-ball.

A dark-horse candidate for worst game is Garoppolo's Monday night performance in a loss in Week 10 at home against Seattle, which I graded 37.1 (second worst of the season). He had a fitting stat line, throwing for 5.4 yards per attempt (worst of season) and a 66.2 passer rating (second worst). Garoppolo was extremely messy with the ball, losing two fumbles, throwing an interception that was called back, and tossing two should-be interceptions. 

MOST UNDERRATED GAME BY BOX SCORE: Week 3 vs. Steelers

If you simply looked at his stats from that game, you would have no idea he played so well. Garoppolo completed 23 of 32 passes for 277 yards (8.7 per attempt) and threw for a touchdown. Most importantly, Garoppolo earned everything he produced that afternoon. He was not carried by the screen game or yards after the catch, nor did he get the privilege of throwing from cushy pockets. 

MOST OVERRATED GAME BY BOX SCORE: Week 11 vs. Cardinals

Garoppolo had a handful of games in which his stats didn't tell the true story of his performance. His Week 11 game against the Cardinals, a 36-26 home victory, was a good example. Garoppolo completed 34 of 45 passes for a career-high 424 yards (9.4 per attempt) and four touchdowns and posted a 115.4 passer rating.

I scored him a 61.6 (sixth best of season), mainly because of his efficient game-managing decisions. His passing total is misleading: 63.4 percent of Garoppolo's yardage was accumulated after the catch (league average 50 percent), and three of his four touchdown passes were easy, largely uncontested throws.

Garoppolo tossed two untimely interceptions -- the first on a 3rd-and-5 play at Arizona's 12-yard line in the third quarter with San Francisco ahead by one point. Garoppolo failed to see Jerome Baker drop into a simple hook zone and threw it into the linebacker's hands for an easy pick. Trailing by three with just under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, San Francisco faced a 3rd-and-7 at Arizona's 24. Under pressure, Garoppolo missed an open Kittle on a skinny post, throwing it way behind him, and Jalen Thompson made a diving pick.

Another prime candidate is Garoppolo's Week 12 game against Green Bay in which he earned a 62.5 grade (fifth best of the season). He posted otherworldly efficiency numbers, throwing for a 145.8 passer rating (best of season) and 12.7 yards per attempt (second best). But his job was made easier by the Packers, who were terrible in coverage in their 37-8 loss.

BEST PLAY

In moments where the Niners need him most, Garoppolo produces his biggest impact plays by staying patient in the pocket and making heady decisions under pressure, delivering clutch tight-window throws over the middle. The play below against the Cardinals in Week 9 came at a crucial juncture. San Francisco led by three points with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter and faced a 3rd-and-11 on its side of the field. 

Garoppolo drops back, and there is not a prudent option available beyond the marker. Tight end Ross Dwelley and Kyle Juszczyk are available for checkdowns, but given that it is highly unlikely either would pick up a first down, Garoppolo makes a rare aggressive decision. He hangs tight, buying time for a shot at moving chains. 

With Chandler Jones bearing down, Garoppolo launches an well-placed clutch throw to Emmanuel Sanders, fitting the ball between four defenders while taking a hit. Sanders is tightly covered, but Garoppolo prudently locates the ball inside, allowing his receiver to separate from Patrick Peterson and make the catch. Note how Garoppolo lures the linebacker from Sanders before flipping his head and making the throw. This is an exceptional display of poise, football IQ, awareness and location.

WORST PLAY

Garoppolo has a scary tendency to throw some rookie-esque interceptions on short-range passes, failing to notice linebackers dropping into shallow zones. This 3rd-and-five against the Cardinals in Week 11 stands out as the most glaring example of Garoppolo's most pressing weakness. He stares down Sanders from the moment he takes the snap, yet somehow never sees Jerome Baker drop into a zone directly underneath. He throws it right to the linebacker.

Young quarterbacks sometimes make mistakes like these. But Garoppolo is 28 and should know better. He makes similar mistakes below against the Rams in Week 6 and Seahawks in Week 10.

Q&A: How much does Garoppolo benefit from his supporting cast?

Garoppolo's supporting cast does a great job giving him comfortable pockets to throw from. That includes not only the offensive line, but Shanahan and the rest of the blockers on the offense.

Garoppolo was pressured on just 29.8 percent of dropbacks, the seventh-lowest rate among 39 qualified quarterbacks. Shanahan's scheme was a big factor in that number. He dialed up a lot of quick releases for Garoppolo, who threw 54 percent of his pass attempts in under 2.5 seconds (fourth most). Play action was another boon for Garoppolo, a credit to both Shanahan for timing play-action calls exceptionally well and to the offensive front for driving a run game that demands heavy respect.

Ultimately, the combination of a strong offensive line, quick passing, and an effective play-action game allowed Garoppolo to set and fire under little or no pressure on many more throws than other quarterbacks.

Garoppolo led the league in yards after catch per completion (6.6) by a wide margin, and ranked just 24th in air yards per completion (5.5). I think that is a result of two factors: Shanahan's ability to get receivers open over the middle on routes with high YAC potential and the team's highly effective and heavily relied upon screen game.

Is Garoppolo merely a game manager?

After watching Garoppolo more closely, I fall somewhere in the middle on him. Is he as good as his box score numbers  (third in yards per attempt, eighth in passer rating) suggest? Absolutely not. But he's not just a bus driver. Garoppolo is a solid quarterback, perfect for Shanahan's run-heavy attack. He plays conservatively, reads the field well, and throws accurately when getting the ball out quickly. 

Garoppolo, who threw for 3,978 yards and 27 TDs this season, is prone to turnovers (13 interceptions, 5 fumbles lost), but he's capable of carrying a team for stretches. Pro Football Focus ranked Garoppolo 13th among qualified quarterbacks, and he ranked 12th in ESPN's QBR. I think he belongs in the 12-16 range; an above-average QB but well below elite.

What must Garoppolo do Sunday?

The Chiefs can't be beaten with a conservative offensive approach, so expect Garoppolo to throw more than he has in the playoffs (27 attempts over two games). Since 2018, when the Chiefs have lost, their opponents have averaged 35.2 points, the highest average allowed by any team in their losses. In addition, Chiefs opponents threw an average of 35.6 passes in Kansas City losses, third most behind Baltimore (36.1) and Philadelphia (36.6).

If Garoppolo plays like he did against Pittsburgh during the regular season, the 49ers have an excellent shot. If not, it is going to take the absolute best version of 49ers football — great defense and a  ground-and-pound attack — against the toughest team in the league to beat with that style of play.