Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had butterflies when he walked into Soldier Field for the first time Sunday, but he didn’t show any sign of nerves in the 49ers’ 15-14 victory over the Bears.
Garoppolo admitted the win was a little more special given the fans in the stands. He grew up in Arlington Heights and saw his parents and brothers in the stands before and after the game.
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“I tried to say all week that it’s just a normal game,” Garoppolo said. “Obviously, I’ve never come back to Chicago like this, so it’s exciting. It was one of the more fun games I’ve been a part of.
“You always dream of it as a little kid. I can remember dreaming of it in elementary school, really. You don’t really know if [your dream is] going to come true or not. It’s crazy how things work out. Everything happens for a reason.”
Garoppolo was everything the Bears hope to see in rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
A standout at Rolling Meadows High School and Eastern Illinois University, Garoppolo appeared poised and confident in the pocket, while Trubisky continued to show growing pains.
Expectations were higher for Trubisky against the 49ers, given their 1-10 record entering the game. But Garoppolo outplayed him.
In his first start with the 49ers and his third career start in four seasons, Garoppolo completed 26 of 37 passes for 293 yards. He connected on all 14 of his passes to wide receivers Trent Taylor and Marquise Goodwin for a combined 191 yards.
Trubisky, who started for the seventh consecutive week, went 12-for-15 for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Bears safety Eddie Jackson noted that the defense didn’t expose Garoppolo’s weaknesses.
“He was good, but we made some mental errors on our part,” Jackson said. “We could’ve kept drives short. We gave up some third downs.”
The 49ers converted 10 of 18 third downs, while the Bears converted only five of 10.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said he had a lot of confidence in Garoppolo before the game, and he’s looking forward to the future.
“He did a good job for his first time,” Shanahan said. “We still have to continue to work to do better — not just him but the whole offense.”
Follow me on Twitter @madkenney.
Email: mkenney@suntimes.com
