Jimmy Garoppolo was magic. Robbie Gould was money.
The two 49ers combined to pull off a terrific, late, come-from-behind victory Sunday, a 25-23 decision over the Tennessee Titans at Levi’s Stadium.
Gould kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired – his sixth field goal of the day – to give the 49ers their third straight victory, all since Garoppolo took over as the 49ers starting quarterback.
Trailing 23-22 with just over a minute left and the ball on the San Francisco 25, the 49ers and Garoppolo needed just three plays to get into field-goal range. Garoppolo completed a 7-yard pass to Trent Taylor, a 24-yarder to tight end George Kittle and then a 14-yarder to Marquise Goodwin to get to the Tennessee 35 with 17 seconds left. Garoppolo then spiked the ball to stop the clock, threw an incomplete pass and handed off to Carlos Hyde for a 3-yard pickup. That set the stage for Gould to come on with three seconds remaining, and he nailed the 45-yarder, prompting his teammates to lift him to their shoulders on the field.
All Things Red and Gold: San Francisco 49ers 2017-2018 Season Highlights
Gould already had connected on 48-, 50-, 28-, 48- and 38-yard field goals earlier in the game. San Francisco’s only touchdown came on Garoppolo’s 5-yard pass to Celek in the second quarter.
With the victory, the 49ers improve to 4-10 with two games remaining in the season. They’ve now won four of five games after starting 0-9. San Francisco will host the Jacksonville Jaguars this coming Sunday, then finish the year Dec. 31 against the Rams in Los Angeles.
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Against the Titans, Garoppolo again was outstanding – even if the Niners stalled too many times in the red zone. Garoppolo completed 31-of-43 throws for 381 yards and the TD, with no interceptions. Again, he spread the ball around, with Goodwin his prime target, pulling in 10 throws for 114 yards. Kendrick Bourne (four catches, 85 yards), Celek (three, 63), Kittle (four, 52) and Taylor (four, 40) were among nine players who caught passes.
This was Garoppolo’s first home start after wins in Chicago and Houston. He’s now 5-0 as an NFL starter, counting this season and his time with the New England Patriots.
Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner led the 49ers with nine tackles.
