San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo started out Sunday’s NFC Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys hot.
The embattled signal caller completed 8 of his first 10 passes, leading the 49ers to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter of action.
But as has been the case throughout his up-and-down career with the 49ers, a lack of consistency plagued Garoppolo throughout the remainder of the game. This included throwing an ugly second-half interception that brought Dallas closer after falling down 23-7.
We’re now hearing more information regarding Garoppolo heading into Saturday’s NFC Divisional Playoff clash with the Packers in Green Bay.
As was noted earlier in the week, the quarterback suffered a right shoulder sprain during the game. That’s in addition to the significant thumb injury Garoppolo is playing through after missing Week 17’s win over the Houston Texans.
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, this latest injury is something to pay attention to as San Francisco vies for a second NFC Championship Game appearance in three seasons.
“Jimmy Garoppolo’s shoulder and torn thumb are something to watch heading into this weekend,” Rapoport said on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday.
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Impact of Jimmy Garoppolo injury on the San Francisco 49ers
Garoppolo suffered said injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s win over the Cowboys. Following the injury, Garoppolo struggled to do a whole heck of a lot in the second half. That included him completing 5-of-11 passes for 39 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception in the final two quarters. In the first half, Jimmy GQ had completed 11-of-14 passes for 133 yards.
This is no small thing set to go into a hostile environment in Green Bay Saturday night. It’s almost literally going to be the “Frozen Tundra” at Lambeau Filed with the temperature set to get down to as low as one degree. You don’t need to be a doctor to realize how a shoulder injury can impact a quarterback in these conditions.
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It’s also important to note that Garoppolo has struggled with turnovers recently. He’s thrown two touchdowns compared to five interceptions in his past three starts. That came after Garoppolo tallied a 12-4 TD/INT ratio in his previous eight starts.
If the underdog 49ers are going to have a chance here, they need Garoppolo to play at his best. If he’s nowhere near 100%, there’s also a chance we see rookie No. 3 pick Trey Lance come Saturday night. As we witnessed with Mac Jones’ performance for the New England Patriots in their blowout AFC Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills, having a rookie play this deep into January typically isn’t a good sign.