On one play during the Niners' 27-10 NFC divisional-round victory over the Minnesota Vikings, it sure looked like it.
With the game still tied 7-7 in the second quarter, the 49ers attempted a reversal on a run play, which somehow put Garoppolo in a position to be a lead blocker for wide receiver Deebo Samuel. San Francisco's own fullback, Kyle Juszczyk, actually tossed the ball to Samuel, but was running in the opposite direction.
Yeah, that happened. Garoppolo pancaked a Vikings defender, linebacker Anthony Barr.
"I'm not in that situation very often," Garoppolo told reporters after the game. "I saw an opportunity and he was a little off balance. And I had to get a pancake on the stat sheet."
Garoppolo wasn't asked to do too much through the air, eventually finishing the day with 131 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception. But much like earlier in the season, when the Niners defense was dominating opponents and the ground game was working, Garoppolo could take a lot of the pressure off his shoulders instead. After all, the 49ers were able to gain 186 total rush yards in the bout, compared to the Vikings having a mere 21 yards on the ground.
And a key block from Garoppolo, too.
"Sometimes you have to remember you're not just a quarterback," Garoppolo added. "You're a football player."
Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
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