DENVER — Jimmy Garoppolo perilously dropped back to pass, then egregiously step out of the back of the end zone for a safety. Stunningly, that still wasn’t the worst thing to happen on that pivotal play for the 49ers in Sunday night’s 11-10 loss with the Broncos.
All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams exited with a right-ankle injury, and that was a much scarier sight for the 49ers than seeing their lead shaved to 7-5 midway through the third quarter.
Whatever would ensue over the game’s remainder, it will be hard to forget about Garoppolo’s gaffe and especially Williams’ injury, the latest injury blow to a 49ers team that lost running back Elijah Mitchell to a sprained knee in the opener and quarterback Trey Lance to a season-ending fractured ankle in last Sunday’s win.
One more Garoppolo blunder finished off the defeat: his daring pass to Deebo Samuel got deflected by safety Kareem Jackson and intercepted by ex-49ers linebacker Jonas Griffith near midfield with 2:06 remaining. That left time for one more turnover: Jeff Wilson Jr. fumbled a completion with 1:05 left.
This obviously was not the ideal re-introduction for Garoppolo and the 49ers (1-2) to a national audience in their prime-time debut this season. Next up: they host the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (2-1) next Monday night.
They’ll likely have to rebound with a new blindside protector for Garoppolo, who endured sacks from the left tackles who replaced Williams, the first being Jaylon Moore and then Colton McKivitz.
Williams, a nine-time Pro Bowler, had his right leg hit by ex-49ers D.J. Jones, who was blocked into Williams by center Jake Brendel, all while Garoppolo was stepping on the end line.
Thus, this essentially was up to the 49ers defense, one that opened the season strong against Chicago and Seattle, whose offenses gained the NFL’s fewest yards through two games.
Could they protect a 7-3 halftime lead — then 7-5 lead — against Russell Wilson, their arch enemy the past decade when went 17-4 against them with Seattle Seahawks?
Nope.
With 4:10 remaining, the Broncos had the lead, using Melvin Gordon’s 1-yard touchdown run to cap a drive in which Wilson produced a pair of third-down conversions, the first of which came when he avoided Javon Kinlaw’s attempted sack and instead threw a 2-yard completion. Next came a 12-yard scramble to convert on third-and-6, and Wilson then rifled a back-shoulder, 19-yard completion to Courtland Sutton at the 5-yard line.
Garoppolo and the 49ers had no such luck on third down. They dropped to 0-for-9 on conversion attempts when Garoppolo sailed a third-and-3 pass incomplete and late to Samuel in the fourth quarter.
Garoppolo did convert a third-down pass by night’s end, but he finished 18-of-29 for 211 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Wilson was 20-of-33 for 184 yards.
JThe 49ers’ only touchdown came on a split-second, 3-yard touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Brandon Aiyuk in the first quarter. That capped an inspiring drive and channeled good memories of Garoppolo’s past. Garoppolo struggled to get the offense back into a rhythm after that early touchdown. Teammates’ penalties and poor field position hurt their cause, as did Garoppolo’s fumbled snap at midfield in the third quarter.
The 49ers’ defense did not let Denver capitalize off that turnover, however, and promptly forced a 3-and-out, though an ensuing punt pinned the 49ers at their 2.
In their opening act, the 49ers’ defenders denied the Broncos a first down on their first three possessions, all while yielding just 11 yards.
The 49ers lost their shutout bid after a debatable coaching decision: Kyle Shanahan declined a third-down holding penalty, and that allowed the Broncos to remain in field-goal range for Brandon McManus, whose 55-yarder cut the 49ers’ lead to 7-3, with 11:56 until halftime.
Drake Jackson, the 49ers’ top draft pick this year, notched his first career sack to halt a Seahawks drive that began at the 1 and reached as deep as the 49ers’ 28-yard line. Preceding Jackson’s third-down sack of Wilson for a 7-yard loss was Talanoa Hufanga’s first-down tackle for a 6-yard loss.
The 49ers’ lead hovered at 7-3 when offensive catalyst Samuel got dinged in the second quarter, while making a 5-yard, third-down catch on the midfield logo. Samuel, however, returned the next series after a medical evaluation for an unspecified issue.
Missing from the 49ers defense for the first time since 2017 was Arik Armstead, an eighth-year defensive tackle and team captain who tested out a foot in warmups. That ended Armstead’s streak of 73 consecutive starts, including six playoff games. His absence was most noticeable on that second-quarter drive, as the Seahawks repeatedly ran the ball up the middle before Hufanga and Jackson made their defensive stops.
