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SANTA CLARA – Marquise Goodwin’s emergence as Jimmy Garoppolo’s go-to guy hit a new level Sunday, and not just with Goodwin’s career-high 10 catches as the 49ers rallied for a 25-23 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Goodwin even saved Garoppolo from having a couple passes intercepted, especially a second-quarter lob that Goodwin came back to snatch from a Titans defender’s hands.
“(Garoppolo) was just like, ‘Did you catch it?’ I told him, ‘Yeah I caught it. I’ve got you,’ ” Goodwin said. “He’s a great guy, a great QB, throwing dimes, making plays and extending drives. That’s what you want in a quarterback.”
While that play kept alive the 49ers only touchdown drive, Goodwin again bailed out Garoppolo during a fourth-quarter comeback, keeping cornerback Adoree’ Jackson from thieving Garoppolo’s 22-yard fade pass to the end zone with 4:41 remaining.
Goodwin finished with 114 receiving yards, and he’s totaled 24 catches for 319 yards in Garoppolo’s three starts. The last 49ers with 10 receptions in a game was Michael Crabtree in 2014.
“I had a lot going on this year losing my baby (Nov. 12) and I just recently lost my biological father this week,” Goodwin said. “It’s just been a lot, but I really didn’t let the outside negative energy affect how I play, how I approach this game or how I come to work each day.”
Garoppolo praised how hard a worker Goodwin and the other receivers are, and coach Kyle Shanahan noted how well Goodwin’s adapted to becoming a full-time starter (career-high 51 receptions, 897 yards).
“I’ve been real impressed with ‘Quise because as you guys can all see in this second half of the year, especially with Pierre (Garçon) down, he’s really taken a lot on his shoulders,” Shanahan said. “… He’s turned into a true pro and he’s playing like a legit starter.”
— Carlos Hyde totaled only 25 yards on 16 carries (1.6-yard average) and especially struggled in the second quarter, when he lost or failed to gain a yard on 6 of 7 carries. The Titans’ barrage of blitzes kept Hyde from breaking any run longer than 8 yards. Matt Breida had 16 yards on five carries.
“They had a bunch of run blitzes, which makes you beat your head against a wall a lot,” Shanahan said. “If you stick with it, you hope to eventually crease through there and get a long one and then that changes everything.”
— Garrett Celek scored his career-high fourth touchdown this season on a 5-yard pass from Garoppolo on third-and-goal. That capped a 17-play, 85-yard drive in which Garoppolo was 9-of-11 for 81 yards. “I know I’ve been primarily a blocker in the past, and to really affect the game more than just in the run phase, it feels great,” said Celek, who finished with three catches for 63 yards, including a 41-yarder in the fourth quarter.
— Fans booed when a Deforest Buckner third-down sack got nullified by a Dontae Johnson illegal-use-of-hands penalty, on the first series after halftime. That moved the Titans to the 49ers’ 36 and they settled for a field goal to pull within 16-13.
— Trent Taylor dropped a potential third-down conversion catch in the third quarter, cutting short the 49ers’ only drive of that quarter. He caught all four other passes that came his way for 40 yards.
— Rookie wide receiver Kendrick Bourne had a career-high four catches for 85 yards, 50 of which came after the catch, according to ProFootballFocus.com. Said Shanahan: He did a great job today beating man coverage and made some plays after the catch. I was real happy for him. He’s been working real hard all year to get into this situation.”
— The Titans needed only 1:08 to drive 79 yards for their first touchdown, which Delanie Walker scored on a 4-yard pass from Marcus Mariota 29 seconds before halftime. An Elvis Dumevil roughing-the-passer penalty pushed the Titans deeper into 49ers territory.
— Linebacker Reuben Foster twice came out of the game and needed medical attention, for a nerve stinger, Shanahan said. Foster finished the game and had eight tackles.
— Wide receiver Aldrick Robinson left with a concussion and a wrist injury on the 49ers’ second possession, after diving for a pass at the Titans 25-yard line.
— Only 1:03 after taking a 13-3 lead, the 49ers quickly regained possession when former tight end Delanie Walker was stripped of a reception by Brock Coyle. Adrian Colbert recovered at the Titans 46-yard line.
— Stadium flags flew at half staff and a moment of silence was held in honor of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who passed away last week.
