And as things turned out, it was seldom-used running back Jeff Wilson who delivered the game-winning play to ensure the Niners would improve to 9-1 on the season.
Trailing 26-23 with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Garoppolo dropped back and saw Wilson running up the middle of the field. A Cardinals defender slipped in coverage, leaving Wilson all alone to scramble into the end zone for a 25-yard catch-and-run touchdown:
That would put San Francisco ahead 30-26, and the 49ers would increase their lead by six more on the Cardinals' final offensive snap of the day, which eventually found its way into the hands of defensive back D.J. Reed for a "scoop and score" defensive touchdown.
Still, Wilson's score was the game winner.
"We got a great look," Garoppolo said of the play to Wilson. "It was zero, the [defensive] end peeled with Jeff. I felt the pressure up the middle and kind of just put it out there. I wanted him to just make a play on it.
"I just heard the crowd erupt. I didn't see him catch it."
But Wilson did catch it on what ended up being the lone impact he made on the stat sheet. And Wilson's grab put the exclamation point on what was a very notable performance from Garoppolo, too.
"I really don't know what to say," Wilson told reporters after the game. "I am still kind of in the moment. I don't know how to feel. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. I am just happy that I was able to make a play for my team."
Wilson's touchdown capped off a four-touchdown effort from Garoppolo. Two weeks ago, when the 49ers visited the Cardinals on Thursday Night Football, Garoppolo enjoyed his first four-touchdown game of his NFL career.
After Sunday, he has two four-touchdown games under his belt.
"He did a good job getting loose and they made a nice play," Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said of Garoppolo's game winner. "[They] had a really good play call into that, and you've got to give them credit for executing that junction."
Written By:
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.
All articles by Peter Panacy
Peter Panacy
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.
All articles by Peter Panacy
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