On Sunday night against the Broncos, Jimmy Garoppolo made history as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. It has been a while since the NFL showcased such a spectacle on TV, in fact, not since Dan Orlovsky’s game. At the halfway point of the third quarter, Garoppolo had the 49ers up 7-3 as he battled Russell Wilson in prime time.
When the veteran quarterback was pressured in his own end zone, he accidentally stepped out of his own end zone, rewarding Denver with safety and ensuring his place in future NFL gag reels for years to come.
As Garoppolo dropped back after a long punt from Corliss Waitman, the Broncos’ defensive lineman Mike Purcell pursued him down the field from the 49ers’ 2-yard line. Before he could get rid of the ball, he crossed the backline of the end zone with both of his feet, but not before he threw the ball away.
This safety, which gave Denver two points and the ball back to the 49ers, might have been even better for the 49ers than if Garoppolo had stayed inbounds, as it was headed straight for a possible pick-six with his last-second pass.
A San Francisco safety cut the Bronco’s lead to 7-5, and the Broncos missed a potential go-ahead field goal on their ensuing drive as a result of safety. The person who celebrated the most, however, was Orlovsky himself, the former Lions backup who went viral for his infamous end-zone drop back in 2008 that made headlines around the world.
In the same season, while filling in for an 0-16 team, Orlovsky rolled out while evading Vikings pass rusher Jared Allen, not realizing that he had clearly stepped out of bounds early in the play.