Jimmy Garoppolo’s first preseason game of the year couldn’t have gone much worse.
The 49ers quarterback went 1-for-6 for zero yards with one interception and a passer rating of 0.0.
Garoppolo’s first throw was batted down at the line of scrimmage. His second pass was intercepted. His third pass got tipped at the line. His fourth was nearly intercepted.
It’s worth noting the 49ers offensive line didn’t do a great job protecting him. His interception was a poorly thrown pass forced by pressure from Bradley Chubb off the edge. There was a miscommunication that left Chubb unblocked after Joe Staley passed him off inside.
The third series got backed up thanks to a holding penalty on Najee Toran. Garoppolo threw an incompletion after pressure on a cornerback blitz forced an early throw. Then he completed a short throw to running back Matt Breida that went for no yards because Breida got tripped up before he could get going.
Luckily this was just Garoppolo’s first outing since last September. He’s clearly rusty, and these preseason games are good for knocking rust off and getting back into the swing of NFL action after suffering a torn ACL.
The best news for San Francisco is that Garoppolo got through the three series completely healthy. His comfort level will improve, and with it, so should his play. Still, Monday night wasn’t a very promising start.
