Kansas City Chiefs: Six things to watch vs 49ers in Super Bowl LIV

JIMMY GAROPPOLO

One of the storylines going into this Super Bowl is that Jimmy Garoppolo is just a game manager, and that he can’t get it done. This is completely false, and hopefully the Chiefs do not fall into that trap of thinking so.

It’s true that the 49ers are a ground and pound team, and Garoppolo just feeds the dogs and lets them eat, but that doesn’t mean he can’t pass. The 49ers quarterback completed six passes for 77 yards against the Packers, but with a running back that gashed the Packers defense for 220 yards, that is all he needed to do. Who cares if he only threw eight total passes? He did what his team asked of him.

In San Francisco’s week 17 game against Seattle, Garoppolo went 18-22 for 285 yards  and in a wild win against the Saints in week 14, went 26-35 for 349 yards, proving he can put up big numbers in a game where the running game was nothing like what we have come to expect from the 49ers.

The point is, you can take the same logic I applied to Mahomes above, flip it around and apply it to Jimmy Garoppolo. The Niners are known as a running team, but as soon as defenses forget that Garoppolo can pass too, he will make them pay for it, especially on play action.

Just like Mahomes with his running, just because Garoppolo isn’t known for his passing, doesn’t mean he can’t do it, especially in a big moment.