49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk has heard the criticism of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo that followed the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV and he doesn’t like it.
Juszczyk made an appearance on NFL Network Friday and said “one of the most frustrating parts of the whole loss” has been seeing the harsh appraisals of Garoppolo and head coach Kyle Shanahan in the wake of the Niners going from being up 20-10 in the fourth quarter to losing the game 31-20 to the Chiefs.
“You look at Jimmy, for people that are stats guys, 4,000 yards passing, better than a 2-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, 70 percent completion, you just look at that, that’s a phenomenal quarterback,” Juszczyk said. “Anybody’s going to sign up for that early in the season. But for whatever reason, Jimmy just seems to get this extra criticism, this extra heat. But I think at one point in the game, he’s like 19 for 22, 180 yards and a touchdown.”
Like many others, Juszczyk noted that hitting one deep pass to Emmanuel Sanders could have turned the tide of the game and created a new narrative for the quarterback. He called it “unfortunate that one or two plays can really change everyone’s outlook on someone,” but it’s the reality for Garoppolo and the Niners until they find their way back to the field this year.