SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Three starts have yielded three comeback wins by 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but Sunday's was different. This one came in his first home start at Levi's Stadium, and it took Robbie Gould's sixth field goal as time expired to defeat the Tennessee Titans, 25-23.
Starting at their 25-yard line with 67 seconds left, it took only three plays _ three Garoppolo completions _ to move the 49ers into field-goal range. Making those catches were Trent Taylor (7 yards), George Kittle (24) and Marquise Goodwin (14).
With three seconds left on the clock, Gould launched his game-winning, 45-yard field goal, which he started celebrating even before it cleared the cross bar and got him hoisted onto teammates' shoulders at midfield.
"I have no idea what happened from the time I made it to the time I got in the locker room," Gould said.
The 49ers (4-10) improved to 3-0 in Garoppolo's starts and have won 4 of 5 since a 0-9 start.
"He's been just as good as advertised, if not better," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "I've really enjoyed working with him, enjoyed game day with him. It gets a little easier for both of us each week and hopefully that continues."
The Titans (8-6) fell two games behind AFC South-leading Jacksonville, which visits Levi's Stadium next Sunday.
Gould had put the 49ers (4-10) ahead on a 48-yard field goal with 3:08 remaining, but the Titans (8-6) responded with Ryan Succup's 50-yard field goal.
As the 49ers went out for the climactic conclusion, Garoppolo remained calm and repeated his comeback ways.
"With all the excitement going on, you have to stay cool and execute," Garoppolo said.
Garoppolo and offensive players were confident they could move the ball, especially because the two-minute drill has become their point-producing specialty. They finished with 414 yards against the league's ninth-ranked defense.
Did Garoppolo give Gould any words before the winning kick?
"Absolutely not," Garoppolo answered. "He's in the zone. I know how that is. Actually, I don't know how that is for him. But when we went out for the two-minute drill, we went and handled our business, and he handled his. That's what a good team does."
Gould's opinion on Garoppolo: "That's a pretty special football player."
Garoppolo led the 49ers to points on all four of their first-half possessions _ field goal, field goal, touchdown, field goal _ for a 16-3 lead. The Titans went on a 17-point scoring spree to go up 20-16 with 13:31 remaining, grabbing their first lead on Rishard Matthews' 8-yard, third-down touchdown catch.
The walk-off win only underscored this being the 49ers' greatest win in Levi's Stadium's 4-year history, as veterans such as Daniel Kilgore and Celek testified afterward.
"I said this when we won in Chicago (two weeks ago): We're a young team, we're learning how to win and these close games will only pay off in the long run, I think for next year and everything," Garoppolo said.
