On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo did not practice. The assumption at the time was that it had to do with an injury he suffered on Thursday night in their loss to the Tennessee Titans.
49ers' QB Jimmy Garoppolo did not practice today due to what sources believe is an an injury he suffered early during the Thursday night loss at Tennessee. His status for Sunday's game against Houston now is uncertain.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 27, 2021
The extent of that injury became a little more clear later on in the day when Schefter reported that Garoppolo suffered a right thumb UCL tear along with a fracture.
49ers’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a right thumb UCL tear along with a fracture, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 27, 2021
Sources: #49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a chipped bone and torn ligament in his right thumb. His status is in doubt for this weekend, but he’s going to try to gut it out, somehow. He’ll be reevaluated on Wednesday.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 27, 2021
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said in his Monday press conference that Garoppolo’s ability to practice this week would be fully determined on Wednesday. The 49ers will host the Houston Texans on Sunday, but if Jimmy can’t go, Trey Lance would likely get the start. Shanahan cited Lance and said the rookie will have “a chance” to play if Garoppolo can’t throw.
Kyle Shanahan on Trey Lance: “This last month of Trey has been his been consecutive four weeks of practice since we've had him. He's had a number of good days and he's had some bad days, like most guys do, but as far as his consistency, I feel this last month has been his best.” https://t.co/UHy3OHgXGw
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 27, 2021
Lance does have one start under his belt already. He started in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, throwing for 15-of-29 for 192 yards and one interception in a loss. He did also gain 89 yards on the ground.
The 49ers are currently 8-7 and are in the middle of the hunt for a Wild Card spot in the NFC playoffs. They’ll need to win both remaining games if they want to secure that spot. Otherwise, it could get messy.
No matter how it plays out, Garoppolo’s injury has caused has a lot of NFL folks to talk on social media.
In 2019, Drew Brees suffered a torn UCL. He injured it in Week 2, missed five weeks, returned in Week 8.
Not sure level of tear comparison, but this seems significant. @NinersNationhttps://t.co/lXLnrh6U4N https://t.co/NuVnetSIjj
— David Fucillo (@davidfucillo) December 27, 2021
Guess the 49ers' playoff hopes will now rest on Trey Lance's shoulders. https://t.co/KxAeA6tAKV
— Field Gulls (@FieldGulls) December 27, 2021
https://twitter.com/warriorsworld/status/1475612738692861952
I’d imagine it’s the Trey Lance show for the remainder of 2021.
Jimmy Garoppolo played his last snap for the 49ers, I’d imagine. https://t.co/MGwDQpoWXq
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) December 27, 2021
This could be the beginning of the end for Garoppolo in San Francisco, but it remains to be seen how Lance performs and how quickly Jimmy can return from injury. If the Niners can make the playoffs, who knows how it plays out.
