SANTA CLARA
Womens Tom Rathman Jersey , Calif. (AP)As his ecstatic teammates rushed Robbie Gould to celebrate the kicker’s game-winning field goal, Jimmy Garoppolo slowly
walked the other way despite his own spectacular first home start and pulling
off a wild December win against a playoff contender. He shared a quick hug near
the sideline with Marquise Goodwin, who had quite a day of his own after losing
his father last week. Garoppolo led one final scoring drive in the closing
seconds to cap a fantastic first full game at Levi’s Stadium, Gould kicked a
45-yard field goal as time expired, and the San Francisco 49ers topped the
Tennessee Titans 25-23 on Sunday.Article continues below ... ”We’re a young
team, we’re learning how to win,” Garoppolo said. ”I think these close games
will pay off in the long run, I think for next year and everything.” Garoppolo
threw for a career-high 381 yards and a touchdown during a dominant day to give
the 49ers (4-10) a three-game winning streak in a lost season – and three
straight comeback victories. And Tom Brady’s former understudy showed he could
do it at home as well as on the road – and against a playoff contender, no less
– outdueling Marcus Mariota down the stretch as the teams traded field goals.
Gould kicked three of his six field goals over the final nine minutes: 50, 48
and 45 yards and has now gone 20 consecutive without a miss. He put the Niners
out front on a 48-yarder with 3:08 remaining. Mariota then drove the Titans
(8-6) to a lead as Ryan Succop kicked a 50-yard field goal with 1:07 to play.
Then, Garoppolo and the San Francisco offense got one last shot. It took three
tries this season, and first-year coach Kyle Shanahan finally found his
reliable, playmaking quarterback after acquiring Garoppolo from New England at
the October trade deadline. ”He’s been just as good as advertised, if not
better
Mike McGlinchey Jersey ,” Shanahan said. Garoppolo showed that in 67 seconds – the same amount of time he had left Sunday – when forced into late
action in a loss to Seattle three weeks ago at Levi’s Stadium, then in
back-to-back road games before shining again. ”I think the 49ers got a
quarterback,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said. Goodwin, who already dealt with
the death of his premature son last month, made 10 catches for 114 yards and
Garoppolo completed 31 of 43 passes to go over 300 yards passing for the second
straight game after last week’s win at Houston. Mariota put Tennessee ahead on
an 8-yard touchdown pass to Rishard Matthews early in the fourth as the Titans
rallied back from an early 13-point deficit. The 49ers were in good position the
ensuing possession before Garoppolo was sacked by Wesley Woodyard for a 10-yard
loss. Then, Gould converted a 50-yarder. Tennessee came out of intermission a
new team, totaling 22 offensive plays to San Francisco’s five in the third
quarter. Garoppolo became the first 49ers quarterback since the merger in 1970
to win each of his first three starts and just the second QB to do so in
franchise history. Y.A. Tittle did so spanning the 1951-52 seasons. He threw a
5-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to tight end Garrett Celek – whose
great play in recent weeks has earned the nickname of ”Celek Time.” Celek later
had a 41-yard catch. ”Yeah, Celek Time. That guy, he always finds a way,”
Garoppolo said. Garoppolo didn’t even have Trent Brown to block for him after
the right tackle went on injured reserve with a right shoulder injury that will
require surgery. Mariota threw a 4-yard TD pass to former 49er Delanie Walker
late in the first half to keep the Titans close. Garoppolo was 5 of 6 passing on
his opening possession as San Francisco mixed its play calls well to catch the
stingy Titans defense off guard. Gould’s 38-yarder capped the 12-play, 64-yard
initial drive. Gould hit a 48-yarder late in the first and then kicked one from
28 yards just before halftime. The Titans dropped back-to-back road games
against the NFC West after losing last week to the Cardinals and staying in
Arizona for the week of practice. It could affect their playoff chances. Their
first visit to Levi’s Stadium – Tennessee last played the Niners on the road at
Candlestick in November 2009 – began slowly, the team’s second straight week
playing a stadium for the initial time. Mariota, in the midst of one of the
worst stretches of his three-year career, threw for 241 yards while completing
23 of 33 passes. DEFENSIVE FLOP Tennessee’s typically tough defense was a far
cry from that dominant unit in the first half. Garoppolo threw for 189 yards and
the Niners outgained the Titans 219-136 in the first half. The 49ers didn’t punt
until more than midway through the third quarter. Last week
Womens Steve Young Jersey , the Titans allowed only four field goals, the second time this season they’d done so. INJURIES Titans: CB Logan Ryan sustained an
ankle injury in the second quarter. 49ers: WR Aldrick Robinson suffered a
concussion in the first quarter. He went to the locker room with head and wrist
injuries after he was hit hard by Titans cornerback Adoree’ Jackson along the
Tennessee sideline. Robinson was stretching out trying to make a catch when he
got slammed and went down for several minutes with 5:24 to go in the opening
quarter. UP NEXT Titans: Host Rams next Sunday and home the final two weeks.
49ers: Host Jaguars next Sunday. — 49ers tight end George Kittle has rapidly
become one of the NFL’s top players, and he’s not forgetting the people who
helped him get there.Kittle’s tight ends coach for his last two years at Iowa,
LeVar Woods, shared on Instagram a memento that Kittle sent him this week: His
jersey from the Pro Bowl, signed and inscribed.“Found out [Kittle] was named to
the NFL Top 100 this AM, then received this in the mail this afternoon,” Woods
wrote. “Thank you! It was great coaching you & I’m very proud of you! Keep
working hard & remember you can be as good as you want to be.”Kittle’s
inscription on the jersey reads, “Coach Woods, Thank you for helping me take
advantage of every opportunity in my last two years of college. Without your
guidance and friendship, I would not be where I am today. You helped me achieve
one of my dreams. Always remember that you have an incredibly positive voice,
and infectious personality. I wish we could have played together. You will
always be an honorary tight end!”It was a classy gesture from Kittle, who got
very limited playing time in his first two college seasons but flourished after
Woods became his position coach in his junior year. Kittle remembers how much
Woods helped him get where he is.
