© Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
SANTA CLARA — Few blocks jump off the screen because of their longevity. Pierre Garcon’s monster block on Matt Breida’s 66-yard touchdown in San Francisco’s 30-27 win Sunday qualifies.
The 49ers led the visiting Detroit Lions, 20-13, with more than a minute remaining in the third quarter. The 49ers dialed up an outside run to the right side for Breida, who ripped a 20-yard run on the previous play. The second-year running back hit a hole, made a cut, and took off upfield.
He had one man, Lions cornerback Nevin Lawson, to beat. Garcon took care of him.
When Breida cut back, Garcon found Lawson at the Detroit 40-yard line, ran alongside him, and eventually blocked him into the end zone. All Breida had to do was follow Garcon’s lead.
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“I just enjoy going hard,” Garcon told reporters Sunday. “I think guys feed off the energy. When you see a guy running hard, playing hard, you’re like, ‘Oh, OK, that’s how it’s supposed to be done. I want to play like that.’ That’s what gives everyone else energy.”
“It was incredible,” Jimmy Garoppolo said postgame about the touchdown. “I was behind them the whole way, trying to catch up to them. They were running really fast, though.”
Kyle Shanahan is used to plays like these.
He and Garcon started working together in 2012 in Washington, the receiver’s first year with the organization. Shanahan was in his third season as its offensive coordinator. One year later, Garcon posted the best receiving numbers of his 11-year NFL career: 113 catches (the most in the league), 1346 yards, and five touchdowns.
Effort plays like the one on Breida’s touchdown Sunday, in which Garcon simply outworks his opponent, endear him to Shanahan.
“He does that stuff a lot,” Shanahan said Monday. “Not everyone gets to see it because it’s not as easy to see, but he’s always working on the backside, always trying to get involved, and trying to always find a way to hit someone.”
Breida’s score, which gave the 49ers a 13-point lead, was the second part of Shanahan’s favorite three-play sequence of the game. The first play was Breida’s 20-yard run preceding the touchdown. The final play was a 19-yard completion to Garcon over the middle to begin San Francisco’s ensuing offensive drive, as seen below.
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After he caught the ball, Garcon went out of his way to stiff-arm defensive back Quandre Diggs.
That, too, didn’t surprise Shanahan.
“There comes a time when Pierre is looking for contact, and that’s what he’s trying to do,” Shanahan said. “That’s why we love him. (We) should have gone to him more in the game.”
Garcon was San Francisco’s most productive receiver in Sunday’s season-opening victory. He led the team with four catches on four targets for 57 yards.
It’s easy to forget that Garcon was on pace for 80 catches and 1,000 yards last season with all the events accentuating it. Garcon injured his neck and missed the final eight games. At the time of his injury, he comfortably led the 49ers in every receiving category other than touchdowns. Four days before he got hurt, the 49ers acquired Garoppolo, who sat most of the first three games before leading San Francisco to five straight victories to close the season. Meanwhile, Marquise Goodwin emerged as Garoppolo’s go-to target. Both Goodwin and Garoppolo signed extensions this offseason. Then, the 49ers traded up to draft Washington receiver Dante Pettis with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Performances like Garcon’s Sunday prove his worth to the 49ers. With Goodwin sidelined due to a calf injury, Garcon stepped up and made plays in both pass and run situations. Detroit played physical man-coverage all game long, which, of course, didn’t seem to bother Garcon.
“Pierre is a hard guy to hold,” Shanahan said. “He’s angry, he’s physical, and he runs through it.”
