It's a G Thing: Garoppolo & Gould Shine as Niners Win Third Straight

Week 15 - Coming off their first multi-game winning-streak in three seasons, the new-look San Francisco 49ers who have begun to finally resemble an NFL team behind the recently acquired Jimmy Garoppolo, kept on rolling as they returned home to Levi's Stadium on Sunday. Hosting the Wild Card hopeful (8-5) Tennessee Titans, coach Kyle Shanahan's Niners would look to improve on their recent winning ways while also playing the role of spoiler against a team vying for a playoff spot. And while the previous two wins against a pair of lowly opponents were nice, a win over an above average Tennessee team would be yet another step in the right direction for this young 49ers squad.

The opening-drive by San Francisco which would result in a Robbie Gould field goal, would be an omen of things to come for the Niners who were able to move the ball rather easily but forced to settle for field goals as Gould registered another busy day in the kicking department. Struggling to score a first quarter touchdown for the 11th consecutive game, the 49ers would jump out to 6-0 lead before Tennessee answered with a field goal of their own to cut the deficit in half. Looking to ditch the field goals for a touchdown, the third time would be a charm for San Francisco as Jimmy Garoppolo capped off a 17-play drive by connecting in the end zone with tight-end Garrett Celek for the second time in as many weeks. Setting a career-high in touchdown receptions with four, Celek's score coupled with another Robbie Gould field goal would make it a 16-3 ballgame as San Francisco scored on each of their first four possessions for the first time this season. But the Titans would manage to inch a bit closer before the end of the half as quarterback Marcus Mariota found former 49er tight-end Delanie Walker in the end zone for a touchdown, allowing Walker to redeem himself after turning the ball over one possession earlier with a fumble.

After taking a lead into the half for only the third time this season, the 49ers would quickly witness that lead evaporate as Delanie Walker's touchdown sparked a streak of 17 unanswered-points for Tennessee who went from trailing 16-3 to leading 20-16 following Mariota's second touchdown pass of the afternoon. The Titans touchdown just three plays into the fourth quarter would ignite an intense final quarter that saw four lead changes before this one was finally decided. Answering Tennessee's touchdown with another pair of field goals to give San Francisco the lead again, Mariota led the Titans on an 11-play drive that would set up kicker Ryan Succop for a go-ahead 50-yard field goal. With 1:07 remaining in regulation and his team trailing 23-22, Jimmy Garoppolo would go to work, marching his team down the field after connecting on passes to three different targets -- Trent Taylor, George Kittle and Marquise Goodwin, to move the ball 45-yards before a short run by running back Carlos Hyde set things up for Robbie Gould who would once again be called upon to be the savior. And like he's done so often this season, Gould would answer the call, splitting the uprights from 45-yards out to give the Niners the dramatic 25-23 victory as time expired. Entering the game with the longest active streak in the NFL with 14 consecutive made field goals, Gould went one step further by adding another five field goals on Sunday to improve his streak to 19, in what figures to be another Pro-Bowl season for the 13-year veteran.

With his parents in attendance, Garoppolo would put on a show for his family and the 49er Faithful as he threw for 381 yards, becoming the first Niner QB with back to back 300-yard performances since Jeff Garcia in 2000. While the running game saw a quiet day from both Carlos Hyde (25 yards) and Matt Breida (16 yards), receiver Marquise Goodwin recorded another productive game under Garoppolo, recording game-highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (114). Though San Francisco's 2017 season has been over and well decided for weeks now, Garoppolo has breathed life back into the franchise and has given fans and team brass hope moving forward. Since naming Garoppolo the starting quarterback heading into Week 13, the team that had one victory through the first 11 weeks and often struggled to remotely resemble an NFL team, has now pulled off three straight victories and appears to be having a good time while doing so as 49ers general manager John Lynch even made it out onto the field to congratulate his new QB and celebrate Sunday's wild win the moment Gould's game-winning kick made it through the uprights. And though there's still plenty of work to be done moving forward, this team is finally making strides in the right direction. As for the Tennessee Titans who fall to 8-6 on the season following the loss, their chances of winning the division which were already slim prior to Sunday's loss, took another major hit as they remain in a three-way tie in the Wild Card along with (8-6) Kansas City and (8-6) Buffalo.

Week 16 Preview - After pulling off the upset victory over the Titans, the 49ers will now aim their attention to one of the best defenses in the league as the red-hot (10-4) Jacksonville Jaguars pay a visit to Levi's. Winners of three straight and 7 of their last 8, the Jags are coming off a 45-7 dismantling of division-rival Houston and are looking to continue their recent dominance despite already clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2007. Behind quarterback Blake Bortles who has logged three straight solid starts in which he's eclipsed the 300-yard mark twice and has thrown for 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, the Jags have scored 24-points or more in four straight outings and are expected to get their starting running back Leonard Fournette back on the field versus San Francisco after sitting out of Sunday's game with a quad injury. The former LSU standout who has missed three games this season due to injury, is still 77-yards shy of the 1,000 yard plateau in his and will look to capture that feat against a 49ers defense that has stepped up against the run as of late, allowing an average of only 3.7 yards per carry to opposing backs the last six weeks. SF will look to improve on that feat and keep Fournette and the number one rushing team in the league in line and force Bortles to get the job done through the air. If San Francisco's offensive-line can keep their QB on his feet and Garoppolo can catch the Jacksonville defense off-guard, the 49ers just might be able to keep things rolling and put a dent in the Jags' stellar record.


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