Jimmy Garoppolo Doubters Have Plenty of Ammo After 49ers Monday Night Football Loss to Seahawks

It's always easy to hit a man while he's down.

Jimmy Garoppolo played one of the best teams in the NFL without his top target in tight end George Kittle, who missed the game with a knee injury.

Jimmy G's been a consistent force all season, leading the 49ers to an undefeated record until Monday night. Yet, it's fair to question how effective he can be in pressure-packed moments, including how much of his success can truly be pinned to his own development vs. being a byproduct of Kyle Shanahan's offense.

Garoppolo's numbers, a pedestrian 24-of-46 for 248 yards and a touchdown for a QB rating just over 66.2, frankly weren't productive enough to beat top-level competition. Perhaps more concerning is the fact Seattle's defense...doesn't really qualify as that.

The two previous weeks, the Hawks' D had been torn apart by the likes of Matt Schaub and Jameis Winston. Despite the absence of Kittle, the 49ers still featured enough weapons that an offense designed around Garoppolo should've thrived, especially at home.

More than anything, the doubt surrounding Garoppolo is fair because he hasn't produced at this level previously. That's not necessarily his fault, but the only evidence we have of Jimmy G against the elite defenses he'll see in the postseason aren't promising. In fact, they're rather sub-par.

Garoppolo wasn't the reason the 49ers lost on Monday night to a division rival. Seattle qualifies as a Super Bowl contender, and Russell Wilson may very well be the league MVP.

Wilson, to his credit, pulled a rabbit out of his hat on more than one occasion, especially on the final drive in overtime leading to Jason Myers' game-winning field goal. Garoppolo, meanwhile, did not.