There is an adage in NFL circles that “two quarterbacks are better than none.” Tell that to the San Francisco 49ers, who have discovered the importance of maintaining two quality starters.
While the 49ers were chastised for signing backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year, guaranteed contract in the summer as opposed to selling him, the move may have rescued their season after Trey Lance suffered a broken ankle on Sunday.
Before putting Garoppolo on the field against the Seattle Seahawks in the first quarter, the severity of Lance’s injury was unknown. Garoppolo had been dubbed “the world’s most expensive backup” by snarkier media members.
As usual, Garoppolo’s performance was efficient but unspectacular, as he threw for 154 yards without an interception and scored a passing and rushing touchdown. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks by a score of 27-7, earning their first victory of the season while delivering Seattle their first defeat.
They will be forced to rely on Garoppolo, who practiced alone for the majority of the offseason, for the long haul. Coach Kyle Shanahan said immediately after the game that Lance’s broken ankle necessitates season-ending surgery.
A 22-year-old with so much talent to offer fans was devastated by the news. Garoppolo, who appeared destined to spend the season on the bench for a team that wanted to move on from him, is now guiding the same squad that he led to the NFC Championship Game last season.
Oh, and what about the label “most expensive backup”? If Garoppolo maintains his health, he will be a bargain. Yes, his contract guarantees him $6.5 million, but the 49ers have almost probably saved money by reworking his contract. While he may make $12.65 million if he played the full year, this is significantly less than the $24.2 million he would have received under his previous contract.
Garoppolo’s presence prevented Lance’s injured ankle from being a crushing blow for San Francisco, which had hoped to develop the top choice in the 2021 draught. In a league where starting-caliber quarterbacks are the most valuable asset a team can possess, it is not always unwise to carry two quarterbacks.
However, let’s be honest: this was not San Francisco’s original plan. If another team was willing to overpay for Garoppolo during the summer, he would be that team’s starting quarterback at this time.
He would have likely thrived in a league that does not tacitly favor tanking. However, instead of seeing him as a surplus asset, the squad valued his ability and many years of playing within their system over the offer.
So, the 49ers opted for conservatism, endured their share of criticism, and now appear to have been rewarded (albeit in the cruelest manner possible). What is the lesson here? Let’s turn to a sports cliche that applies here: sometimes it’s the movements you don’t make.
Player of the week
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Throughout most of the Baltimore Ravens game against the Miami Dolphins, it appeared that Lamar Jackson was destined to win. Unfortunately for him, Tagovailoa (along with the Ravens’ leaky defense) had other ideas as Miami overcame a 21-point hole to win 42-38 and go to 2-0 on the season.
In Baltimore, the story should have been about Jackson continuing to gamble on himself and winning: he threw for three touchdowns and carried for another, totaling 437 yards. It was still insufficient because Tagovailoa was so much better: he threw for 469 yards and a staggering six touchdowns.
It turns out that if you can accomplish that, you don’t need to use your legs to make things happen. Currently, the best quarterback in Florida might not be the player the Dolphins were rumored to be interested in during the summer.
Statistics of the week
Six. Joe Burrow was sacked this many times during the Bengals’ 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. While Burrow has developed as one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL, his propensity to take sacks has been a weakness in his game.
Last season, Cincinnati’s questionable offensive line was largely to blame for the team’s poor performance, but the team had purportedly spent the offseason working to improve it.
The outcomes? Worse than unconvincing Burrow has been sacked 12 times in two games, which is a major reason why the Super Bowl runner-up from last season has started this season with a 0-2 record.
Sunday’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints was highlighted by a non-football play. Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore and Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans were booted from a benches-clearing altercation during a typically chippy game between the two clubs.
Evans shoved Lattimore, so he had a right to be upset about being removed, but the referees were undoubtedly swayed by the history between the two players. Tom Brady was also noticeably distressed, at one point slamming his tablet in anger. Perhaps his heart is in another place.
The quotation of the week
“That s—- was humiliating. We had our asses handed to us” – DeForest Buckner, Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle, following his team’s 24-0 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Buckner is difficult to argue with. The Colts’ ineptitude in Jacksonville is virtually unprecedented. The last time they won in Jacksonville was in 2014, which is astonishing considering the Jaguars’ mediocre-to-poor performance throughout that span.
Despite acquiring experienced quarterback Matt Ryan through trade during the offseason, the Colts have started the season 0-2. The Jaguars have won their opening game of the season with only their third shutout in the previous fifteen years. No points are awarded for guessing which team they defeated both times.
The remainder of the league
Less than two minutes remained in the game, and the New York Jets were trailing the Cleveland Browns by a score of 30-17. At one time, Cleveland was estimated to have a 99.9% probability of winning.
However, following an exceptional touchdown pass from Joe Flacco, punter Braden Mann successfully executed an onside kick that was quickly converted into the game-winning touchdown for New York. The Jets defeated the Browns 31-30 in part because of Mann’s return to football.
It was hardly even Mann’s most spectacular play of the game. Mann kept the first-quarter drive alive with his arm, executing a fake punt on fourth-and-one to set up the first of Flacco’s four touchdown passes. Without Mann’s arm, New York would not have been in a position to come back.
The highly-touted Arizona Cardinals just avoided sliding into the same 0-2 hole as the Cincinnati Bengals. Fans had reason to be concerned about quarterback Kyler Murray, who got a five-year, $230.5 million contract in the offseason, when his team fell behind the Las Vegas Raiders, who were also seeking their first victory of the season, 20-0 at halftime. Inconceivably, Murray managed to force OT with the league’s most ludicrous two-point conversion in years.
After tying the game in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals prevailed in overtime by recovering a fumble. You understand exactly how they drew things up. The victory could have saved Arizona’s season. The Raiders fell to 0-2 in a particularly nasty manner, but that’s okay because it was still a remarkable day for Las Vegas sports.
Jameis Winston of the New Orleans Saints was playing with four back fractures, which partially explains his three interceptions and six sacks. It also raises the question of whether the Saints should have opted for veteran backup Andy Dalton over their injured starter.
In a game that would have garnered a lot more attention a few seasons ago, when Tom Brady was still in New England and Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t retired, the New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in a turnover- and penalty-filled debacle to earn their first win of the season.
The road victory stopped the Patriots from going behind 0-2 for the first time in twenty years. Both teams are presently 1-1, and neither appears likely to make the playoffs at this time.
In Defensive Rookie of the Year news, Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson recorded three sacks in the first half against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, leading his club to a 22-0 halftime lead. To Washington’s credit, Carson Wentz scored three touchdowns in the second half to prevent a rout, but the Lions ultimately prevailed 36-27.
