Here’s where we introduce Garoppolo, whose 49ers started their defense of the NFC title with a 24-20 upset loss at home against the Cardinals. Garoppolo’s raw numbers look good, as he went 19-of-33 for 259 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 103.0, but he wasn’t anywhere near as impressive as those numbers indicated. (For one, 76 of those yards came on a Raheem Mostert completion in which Mostert racked up 71 yards after catch.)
The key moment of this game came just before the end of the first half. Facing a Cardinals team that had been ripped to shreds by tight ends in 2019, George Kittle was already up to four catches for 44 yards.