Has Jimmy Garoppolo played his last game as 49ers starting QB? Injury could spell doom for veteran's future

Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers have had a turbulent relationship since he came over from the New England Patriots. Injury concerns have always been the subject of contention, and Sunday was no exception.

Garoppolo has now suffered a calf injury and is set to have an MRI soon. If Garoppolo ends up on injured reserve, Coach Shanahan will have no choice but to start Trey Lance for the foreseeable future.

This could mean that Lance may possibly remain the starter for the remainder of the 2021 season.

Will Trey Lance remain the starting quarterback over Jimmy Garoppolo?

The question about who would start at quarterback for the 49ers has been ongoing since the pre-season kicked off in August.

During the pre-season, the consensus of many was that Trey Lance had earned the right to at least be considered for the starting position.

Now the opportunity has come for the 49ers to possibly move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, whose injury concerns have once again come full circle.

The 49ers are in the thick of the NFC West competition, and losing games due to Garoppolo being hurt is not something they can afford any longer. The game plan should now be to integrate the offense with Trey Lance in mind.

The NFC West is one of the toughest divisions in all of football, with the Arizona Cardinals at 4-0 after beating the 3-1 Los Angeles Rams, leaving the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks at 2-2.

Making the most of his chance

Trey Lance is a young and mobile quarterback that adds another unique dimension to the 49ers' offense power. He entered the game Sunday with a respectable showing of 157 yards on 18 attempts and two touchdowns. He played only a fraction of Garoppolo's time as Jimmy G. ended the day with 165 passing yards.

Lance also had a passer rating of 117.1 in comparison to Garoppollo's passer rating of 79.1.

The time is now to see if Lance can be the replacement that the 49ers have desperately needed. Although Coach Shanahan has adamantly defended Garoppollo, there needs to be a change.

Garoppolo may have seen the writing on the wall, as Lance was drafted to be his ultimate replacement. The team wasn't quite sure if and when that time would come. It should have happened at the start of the season, but now is the perfect time to make a change at quarterback.

The hope has been that Garoppolo can finally remain healthy, but that has not happened. The 49ers should now let Trey Lance lead this team for the rest of the 2021 season and beyond as their franchise quarterback.

He can help to power this offense to new heights, and with receivers like Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle, it's time to see what the rookie can do.

---

---