San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered an embarrassing blunder that actually saved his team points during a game Sunday.
With his team backed up in their own end zone, Garoppolo stepped too far backward, going out of bounds and causing a safety during a game against the Denver Broncos. While the lack of spatial awareness by Garoppolo gave the Broncos 2 points, he saved himself from giving the Broncos 6 or more points, as the pass he threw was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.
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SAFETY! Jimmy G steps out of the back of the end zone. #FTTB #SFvsDEN on NBC and @peacock. pic.twitter.com/dMFD89e6zH
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 26, 2022
Because Garoppolo was out of bounds before throwing the pass, the play was marked dead and the pass did not count, saving the quarterback from giving the other team an additional 6 to 8 points, depending on a point-after-touchdown attempt.
The blunder was mocked endlessly online and caused people to remember when former Detroit Lions quarterback-turned-ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky ran out of the back of the end zone, causing a safety during a game in 2008.
Good times, @danorlovsky7. ? pic.twitter.com/2ZOfTfIwYH
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) September 26, 2022
The blunder by Orlovsky was viewed as emblematic of the 2008 Detroit Lions team, which became the first team to go 0-16, failing to win a single game in the regular season.
Orlovsky has joked about the blunder by putting “Endzones should be 11 yards” in his Twitter biography, alluding to when he ran backward beyond the 10-yard end zone in 2008.
In reaction to Garoppolo stepping outside the end zone and causing a safety, Orlovsky tweeted, “IVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER.”
IVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER
FFFFREEEEEDDDOOOMMMM
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 26, 2022
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The 49ers lost to the Broncos 11-10, with the 2-point safety proving to be pivotal to the Broncos’ victory. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson improved to 18-4 against the 49ers, with all of the previous wins coming when he played for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Broncos improved to 2-1 overall, tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for first place in the AFC West. The 49ers fell to 1-2, tied with the Cardinals and Seahawks for last in the NFC West and trailing the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, who lead the division with a record of 2-1.
