Garoppolo scrambled toward the 49ers sideline and, rather than safely duck out of bounds, stepped back to his right and took a wicked shot from cornerback Steven Nelson
In only his third regular season game since signing a five-year, $137.5 million extension in February, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered what the team fears is a season-ending knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Coach Kyle Shanahan was watching as Jimmy Garoppolo scrambled toward the 49ers (1-2) sideline and, rather than safely duck out of bounds, stepped back to his right and took a wicked shot from cornerback Steven Nelson.
Garoppolo’s left knee buckled just before Nelson delivered a shoulder-to-shoulder blow, which is why he went down so hard. Garoppolo was on the turf for a couple of minutes before he was helped to his feet and eventually carted off late in a 38-27 loss to Kansas City.
Initially Shanahan thought his quarterback had sustained a concussion, but later revealed that the team fears he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his left knee, which would mean the 26-year old’s season is over.
‘We fear an ACL,’ Shanahan said afterward. ‘We’ll find out more tomorrow.’
Jimmy Garoppolo’s left knee buckled just before Chiefs cornerback Nelson delivered a shoulder-to-shoulder blow, which is why he went down so hard. Garoppolo was on the turf for a couple of minutes before he was helped to his feet and eventually carted off late in the fourth
Jimmy Garoppolo was carted off after spending several minutes on the turf
Garoppolo was dealt to San Francisco nearly one year ago after serving as Tom Brady’s backup in New England Since 2014. He initially made a name for himself in 2016, when he started twice during Brady’s ‘Deflate Gate’ suspension, winning both times.
Later, after Garoppolo was dealt to San Francisco for a second-round pick, an ESPN report described a rift within the Patriots organization between Brady, owner Robert Kraft, and coach Bill Belichick, the latter of whom wanted to keep the younger quarterback to groom as the team’s eventual starter.
As outlined by ESPN, Kraft demanded a trade of Garoppolo to appease Brady, and Belichick reluctantly obliged.
Since signing the deal, the soft-spoken Garoppolo had stayed out of the news until he was spotted on a date with Kiara Mia (right) high-end Greek seafood restaurant in Los Angeles
Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Steven Nelson (20) closes in to tackle San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10), right, during the second half on Sunday
The move worked out for Garoppolo, who not only went 5-0 for the previously struggling 49ers to end the season, but also because it helped him to secure his current contract.
The Patriots would have struggled to fit that contract and Brady’s $20 million salary under the NFL’s $177.2 million salary cap.
Since signing the deal, the soft-spoken Garoppolo had stayed out of the news until he was spotted by TMZ on a date with Kiara Mia at Avra, a high-end Greek seafood restaurant in Los Angeles.
Garoppolo had struggled to start the year, throwing three interceptions in a seaosn-opening loss to Minnesota. He looked better in Week 2, completing 28 of 26 passes for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a win over Detroit.
On Sunday, he appeared to finally be hitting his stride with the 49ers. Not onlu had he completed 20 of 30 passes for 251 yard and two scores, but he did so while under constant pressure from Kansas City’s pass rush, which sacked him four times on the day.
Garoppolo’s injury is bad news for the banged-up 49ers, who already lost top running back Jerick McKinnon to a season-ending knee injury and only have two other quarterbacks on the roster.
Garoppolo served as Tom Brady’s backup in New England, where he won two Super Bowl rings
C.J. Beathard took over for Garoppolo with just over five minutes left Sunday, and he appeared to throw a touchdown pass to George Kittle before offensive pass interference wiped it out. San Francisco had to kick a field goal and that wound up being the final margin.
Now, Beathard is in line to start next week when the 49ers play the Chargers in Los Angeles, and Nick Mullens could get a call-up from the practice squad to serve as the backup.
‘Any time you lose your starting quarterback, that’s a big deal. It was when we lost our starting running back, too,’ Shanahan said. ‘Feel for him personally. I know how disappointed he is.’
Beathard said he spoke to Garoppolo briefly in the trainer’s room, and what little of their exchange he was willing to repeat made it quite clear the 49ers’ franchise quarterback expects his season to be over.
‘I told him I’ll be praying for him and I love him and he just told me to lead these guys,’ Beathard said. ‘I’ve never been in that situation with something possibly that serious. I can only imagine how tough it is for him this early in the season.’
It’s also a big blow for the 49ers, who thought they had the pieces to contend for a playoff spot his season. Now, they’ve lost two of their most important offensive pieces, to say nothing of a series of injuries on defense Sunday that left them with a piecemeal backfield.
Top cornerback Richard Sherman went down with a calf injury, while backup Tarvarius Moore left with a wrist injury. Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt was inactive with a shoulder injury and free safety Adrian Colbert hurt his ankle, forcing a bunch of backups to play significant snaps.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wound up handling them for 314 yards passing and three TDs.
‘They do a lot of things. They use their personnel well. They have a lot of guys that are interchangeable and have a lot of tools,’ said backup safety Antone Exum Jr. ‘It’s a team you have to stay disciplined on and play your assignment.’
Still, the 49ers leaned on running backs Alfred Morris and Matt Breida and the strong arm of their quarterback to mount a comeback. And after Garoppolo’s TD toss to Marquis Goodwin in the third quarter made it 35-24, there was a sense of optimism on the San Francisco sideline.
The 49ers were still trailing 38-24 when Garoppolo led them inside the Kansas City 5 in the final minutes. The Chiefs answered with sacks by Allen Bailey and Justin Houston on consecutive plays, then flushed Garoppolo from the pocket on third-and-goal from the 20-yard line.
That’s when the San Francisco quarterback headed for the sideline, decided to stay in play rather step out of bounds, and ultimately put the rest of the 49ers’ season in question.
‘Just like we always do, you show up to work tomorrow,’ Shanahan said. ‘We’ll all be men about it. We’ll grade the tape hard and see what we did wrong. And when we show up Wednesday it’s time to go.
‘It’s part of the NFL season. It’s what you have to do,’ he added. ‘We all feel for Jimmy. There’s no doubt about it. We dealt with this with our running back, too. It’s part of the NFL. We’re not the first team this has happened to.’