Garoppolo Throws For 381 Yards, Gould Kicks Six As 49ers Overcome Titans 25-23

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is the real deal for the San Francisco 49ers.

On Sunday, he earned plenty of recognition after outdueling Titan’s quarterback Marcus Mariota 25-23 on Sunday to give the Niners their third straight win.

The team has won every game since starting the Brady-backup on Dec. 3 against the Bears.

Although the first two wins were against below-.500 teams, the victory over the Titans sealed the deal on the future of Garoppolo in San Francisco as Tennessee held an 8-5 record with a potential ticket to the playoffs prior to the game.

(Although, it ultimately comes down to offseason discussions)

On the other side of the story, the Titans are hanging on tight in the AFC playoff picture with the fifth seed. Despite now holding an 8-6 record, the team has stayed put in the same spot, with the Baltimore Ravens (8-6) and San Diego Chargers (7-7) looking in from the hunt.

Breakdown:

Garoppolo and the 49ers jumped out on top with two early field goals by kicker Robbie Gould to take a 6-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Tennessee took to the board in the second with a 40-yard field goal by Ryan Succop before Gould kicked his third field goal for the 49ers.

The teams followed up by trading touchdowns as Garoppolo connected with Celek in the end zone for 5 yards while Mariota hit a short pass to TE Delanie Walker to keep the deficit at six at halftime.

The Titans put up points in their next two drives with a 31-yard field goal by Succop followed by a Mariota 8-yard connection to Rishard Matthews in the end zone to take their first lead of the game 20-16.

Gould hit his fourth field goal from 50 yards on the next drive to cut the deficit to one with 5:04 remaining.

After trading field goals, the 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan put the ball in Garoppolo’s hands to lead the team down the field with 1:07 remaining.

After completing three straight passes for 45 yards and a small 3-yard run by Carlos Hyde, Garoppolo and his team gave the ball to Gould, who knocked in his fourth of the game from 45 yards to give the 49ers the win.

San Francisco 49ers stats:

Jimmy Garoppolo completed 31 of 43 passes for 381 yards and a touchdown.

Carlos Hyde rushed for 25 yards in 16 attempts. Matt Breida rushed for 16 yards in 5 carries.

Marquise Goodwin caught 10 passes for 114 yards. Kendrick Bourne caught 4 passes for 85 yards. Garrett Celek caught 3 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. George Kittle caught 4 passes for 52 yards.

Robbie Gould kicked 6 for 6.

Tennessee Titans stats:

Mariota completed 23 of 33 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns.

DeMarco Murray rushed for 59 yards in 18 carries. Derrick Henry rushed for 19 yards in 7 carries.

Rishard Matthews caught 6 passes for 95 and a touchdown. Eric Decker caught 5 passes for 63 yards. Delanie Walker caught 5 passes for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Ryan Succop kicked 3 for 3.

Next up:

San Francisco 49ers (4-10) will host the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) on Sunday. Kickoff is at 1:05 PM PST.

Tennessee Titans (8-6) will host the St. Louis Rams (10-4) on Sunday. Kickoff is at 10:00 AM PST.

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