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49ers star Jimmy Garoppolo suffers nightmare ACL injury

AN NFL team’s brazen $177 million gamble has blown up in its face after a star quarterback’s season ended in an instant.

5 min read
September 26, 2018 - 9:28AM
AP
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 23: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes plants on his left leg at the sideline on a play in which he would be injured during the fourth quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on September 23rd, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. Peter Aiken/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 23: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes plants on his left leg at the sideline on a play in which he would be injured during the fourth quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on September 23rd, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. Peter Aiken/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

COACH Kyle Shanahan was watching as Jimmy Garoppolo scrambled toward the 49ers sideline and, rather than safely duck out of bounds, stepped back to his right and took a wicked shot from Steven Nelson.

At first, the San Francisco coach thought his quarterback had sustained a concussion.

Turns out it is a likely season-ending knee injury.

Garoppolo’s left knee buckled just before the Chiefs’ cornerback delivered a shoulder-to-shoulder blow, and that was the reason he went down so hard.

Garoppolo was on the turf for a couple of minutes before he was helped to his feet and eventually carted off late in a 38-27 loss to Kansas City.

“We fear an ACL,” Shanahan said afterward.

“We’ll find out more tomorrow.”

That’s bad news for the banged-up 49ers (1-2), who already lost top running back Jerick McKinnon to a season-ending knee injury and only have two other quarterbacks on the roster.

C.J. Beathard took over for Garoppolo with just over five minutes left Sunday, and he appeared to throw a touchdown pass to George Kittle before offensive pass interference wiped it out.

San Francisco had to kick a field goal and that wound up being the final margin.

Now, Beathard is in line to start next week when the 49ers play the Chargers in Los Angeles, and Nick Mullens could get a call-up from the practice squad to serve as the backup.

“Any time you lose your starting quarterback, that’s a big deal. It was when we lost our starting running back, too,” Shanahan said.

“Feel for him personally. I know how disappointed he is.”

Snap.
Snap.

Beathard said he spoke to Garoppolo briefly in the trainer’s room, and what little of their exchange he was willing to repeat made it quite clear the 49ers’ franchise quarterback — who signed a five-year, $177 million ($US137.5m) extension in February — expects his season to be over.

“I told him I’ll be praying for him and I love him and he just told me to lead these guys,” Beathard said.

“I’ve never been in that situation with something possibly that serious. I can only imagine how tough it is for him this early in the season.”

It’s also a big blow for the 49ers, who thought they had the pieces to contend for a playoff spot his season. Now, they’ve lost two of their most important offensive pieces, to say nothing of a series of injuries on defence Sunday that left them with a piecemeal backfield.

Top cornerback Richard Sherman went down with a calf injury, while backup Tarvarius Moore left with a wrist injury. Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt was inactive with a shoulder injury and free safety Adrian Colbert hurt his ankle, forcing a bunch of backups to play significant snaps.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wound up handling them for 314 yards passing and three TDs.

DREW BREES SETS NEW NFL RECORD

Drew Brees is an old man.
Drew Brees is an old man.

DREW Brees’ one-yard run capped an 80-yard touchdown drive to open overtime that lifted the New Orleans Saints to a 43-37 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Brees’ score came after his apparent three-yard touchdown pass to Alvin Kamara was overturned on a review that determined Kamara’s knee was down before the goal line.

Brees scored on a keeper on the following play, giving the Saints (2-1) the win on the day the 39-year-old quarterback set the NFL record for career completions.

Brees passed for 396 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two scores. Kamara had 15 catches for 124 yards and ran for 66 yards.

Brees’ biggest play before the winner might have been his improbable seven-yard scoring run with 1:15 remaining that forced overtime. He ran to his left and then spun to avoid tackle attempts by Brian Poole and Robert Alford. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan had his first career game with five scoring passes, including three to rookie Calvin Ridley. That wasn’t enough for the Falcons (1-2) against Brees and the high-scoring Saints, who gained 534 yards. Ryan passed for 374 yards, including 146 to Ridley, who became the first Falcons rookie with three scoring catches. Ridley, who had seven receptions, including a 75-yard TD, had his first game with more than one touchdown reception in his first game with at least 100 yards receiving.

Brees set the career completions record with a 17-yard completion to Michael Thomas in the second quarter, giving him 6,301.

With a little more help from Ginn, Brees might have had a bigger first half.

MIAMI’S THRILLING TRICK PLAY COMES OFF

THE Miami Dolphins had just tricked the Oakland Raiders one final time, and as Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant sprinted side by side in the clear the final 30 yards toward the end zone for a clinching touchdown, they didn’t wait to celebrate.

While still on the run, the two Miami receivers exchanged a gleeful high-five.

“Just NASCAR on grass,” Grant said.

The Dolphins looked even faster than that.

Wilson threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to put unbeaten Miami ahead midway through the fourth quarter, and then turned a short reception into a 74-yard score that sealed a 28-20 victory Sunday over winless Oakland.

Miami coach Adam Gase used creative play-calling to overcome a wave of injuries and penalties, and a 17-minute deficit in time of possession.

The Dolphins scored on a pair of shovel passes by Ryan Tannehill that each travelled less than a yard — one on the flip to Wilson, and an earlier similar pass that Grant caught before turning the corner for an 18-yard score.

“We made some big plays when it mattered,” Tannehill said.

“With the explosiveness we have, we just have to keep doing our job and not press.”

Thanks to all the flashy plays, the surprising Dolphins are 3-0 for only the third time since 1998, with an early season showdown at AFC East rival New England next.

“We’re on the right track,” Tannehill said.

“Are we there yet? No. But the patterns we’re establishing are going to take us there.”

The Raiders, led by first-year coach Jon Gruden, are 0-3 for the first time since 2014, when they started 0-10. They’ve blown a second-half lead in all three defeats.

Oakland outgained the Dolphins, and Derek Carr threw for 345 yards . But Xavien Howard intercepted him twice deep in Miami territory, and the Dolphins mounted a first-half goal line stand to stay in the game.

“We got hurt on a trick play and didn’t finish some drives in the red zone,” Gruden said. “That’s the story of the game.” Trickery gave the Dolphins their first lead in the fourth quarter. Tannehill handed off to Frank Gore, who tossed the ball to Wilson on an end-around. Wilson — a quarterback in high school — then lobbed the first pass of his NFL career to a wide-open Grant, who outmanoeuvred two Raiders to the end zone.

NFL STAR’S CATCHPHRASE WEAPONISED AGAINST HIM

Down he goes.
Down he goes.

MINNESOTA crashed to a shock loss to Buffalo on Monday morning — and insult was most certainly added to injury.

Star Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins had to suffer one of the biggest upsets in his team’s history — and then suffered the insult of Bills star Tre’Davious White mocking him with a simple quip that’s since gone viral.

White was filmed mimicking Cousins’ famous “You like that” catchphrase as his team ran through the players’ tunnel at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis fresh from their 27-6 thrashing of the Vikings.

It went viral in an instant.

Cousins was asked about White’s cheeky digs in his post-match press conference and admitted his rivals have been regularly poking fun at him by mimicking his famous celebration.

Originally published as 49ers star Jimmy Garoppolo suffers nightmare ACL injury

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Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/sport/us-sports/nfl/49ers-star-jimmy-garoppolo-suffers-nightmare-acl-injury/news-story/14d15c489b8e9c529b77c52ef4363446