How Jimmy Garoppolo's in-game pep talk sparked 49ers' rout vs. Packers

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It's easy to look at the final score of the 49ers' 37-8 destruction of the Packers on Sunday night at Levi's Stadium and think it was easy from the jump.

But you'd only be half right.

The 49ers scored almost immediately. Fred Warner stripped Aaron Rodgers on the fifth play from scrimmage and Nick Bosa recovered the ball at the 2-yard line. Tevin Coleman plowed into the end zone on the next play and it was 7-0. 

But after that, the 49ers' offense stalled a touch as the Packers forced punts on three of the Niners' next four drives and held them to a field goal on the other.

Facing Rodgers and the explosive Packers' offense is nothing to mess around with, so quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo gathered his offense and lit a fire.

"I think my favorite thing in the game was -- I think it was after our third drive, we scored right away then had two three-and-outs that weren't very good," tight end George Kittle said after the game. "Jimmy got the whole offense together and was like, 'Hey! You got to play with intensity. Our defense is playing their a--es off. We just got to take advantage of those opportunities they are giving us. Because Aaron Rodgers is one heck of Hall-of-Fame quarterback and we can't give him the opportunity to come back and beat us.'

"So that was really awesome then everything after that just kind of took off."

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Garoppolo's message was received loud and clear.

After going up 13-0, Garoppolo hit rookie receiver Deebo Samuel for a 42-yard touchdown to make it 20-0. The 49ers led 23-0 at the break. Then, after the Packers scored to make it 23-8 in the third quarter, Garoppolo hit Kittle for a 61-yard score and the rout was all the way on.

[RELATED: 49ers 'pumped' about where season can go after rolling Packers]

The 49ers now are 10-1 and will head across the country to face Lamar Jackson and the 8-2 Baltimore Ravens in Week 13. After that, they'll head to New Orleans to face the 9-2 Saints.

The road will be treacherous over the next few weeks. But Garoppolo and the 49ers have shown they are the class of the NFC and capable of handling anything.

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