Kyle Shanahan calls Jimmy Garoppolo ‘one of the main reasons’ 49ers made it to the Super Bowl

In the wake of the San Francisco 49ers’ disappointing loss in Super Bowl 54 against the Kansas City Chiefs, it has seen the bulk of the blame being put on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s shoulders.

Garoppolo had his fair share of struggles throughout the game, which saw him miss several receivers, including Emmanuel Sanders for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Despite all of the criticism, head coach Kyle Shanahan looks to have his quarterback’s back still. (H/T Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk)

“I think Jimmy is one of the main reasons we got to the Super Bowl,” Shanahan told reporters. “I think he overcame a lot. This was his first year in his career going through an entire NFL season. He still doesn’t have as many starts and stuff as [Browns quarterback] Baker Mayfield. I think he had a hell of a first year truly playing the position, especially coming off an ACL where you have to fight through that a ton as a quarterback, where your rhythm and everything is not there at the beginning of the year. For him to be like that and to not let the pressure get to him, and to improve as the year went, I think says a ton about Jimmy. I can’t tell you how much I loved coaching the guy as a player and as a person this year.”

There wasn’t much of any Super Bowl expectations on the 49er heading into this season. They made a tremendous step forward that saw Garoppolo play a big part in helping build that. His play was promising at times as he had nearly 4,000 passing yards with 27 touchdown passes.

It should be noted that it was his first year back from a torn ACL, which makes his play that more encouraging. His shortcomings in the Super Bowl are disappointing, but it’s something that he can build off and improve.

That said, the pressure and scrutiny will be on him in the 2020 campaign with Super Bowl expectations square on the franchise.