The San Francisco 49ers are headed to Green Bay to take on the Packers in the NFC Divisional Round Saturday, but they could be without their starting quarterback.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed on Monday that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a shoulder sprain in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys. Garoppolo played through the injury, but struggled in the second half, completing 5 of 11 passes for 39 yards and an interception.
While the Niners walked away with a 23-17 win and Shanahan then said that Jimmy G ought to be good to go against the Packers, an update from Fox Sports 1 insider Jason McIntyre says otherwise.
“Texted someone in SF about 90 minutes ago asking about Jimmy G,” McIntyre tweeted. “LOTS of rumors the hand & shoulder are not good. Like ‘may not start’ good. And the line has surged marketwide to GB -6. Somebody has even more intel.”
Garoppolo looked in pain at points of the game on Sunday, and there is still clearly some issues with the UCL sprain in his throwing hand because he’s having to wear a brace.
But, it’s worth noting that nothing is being outright reported here from McIntyre. He’s saying there are rumors about his injury condition, and it’s not like he’s announced what he heard back from the “someone in SF.”
However, he is correct about the money moving on the Packers. Since opening at -5.5 per CBS Sports, the line is now at -6 in favor of Green Bay. If Garoppolo isn’t going to be healthy enough to play, that will set up rookie Trey Lance for his third-ever start and his first action in an NFL playoff game.
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Shanahan’s Monday Update
As mentioned above, Shanahan announced the injury to open up his Monday press conference. Along with updates on the conditions of linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa, the 49ers head coach announced that Garoppolo suffered a shoulder sprain against the Cowboys, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.
While initially concerning, Garoppolo was able to stay in the game and Shanahan also implied that Garoppolo would practice most, if not all of the week coming up to Saturday’s game.
With the context of McIntyre’s update, it’s possible that the Niners head coach was trying to divert attention away from the injury and make it seem like Garoppolo is ready for this weekend. The team may not even be sure yet.
But with conflicting updates coming from a big name on Fox Sports and Shanahan, Jimmy G’s status is now a bit more murky than it was initially.
Other 49ers’ Injury Statuses
Warner and Bosa both suffered what looked to be brutal injuries against the Cowboys, with Bosa being hit by a teammate and suffering a concussion and Warner going down in a lot of pain in a non-contact injury.
However, the above statement from Shanahan gave optimistic updates on the two defensive stars. 49ers fans will have to wait and see how much the two practice to really get an idea on their availability, and Bosa will likely not practice at all considering the concussion protocol.
Warner never came back in the game after going down on Sunday, but he did personally update the San Francisco fanbase with a Tweet on Monday.
“Sorry for the scare yesterday everyone,” Warner said. “I appreciate everyone showing love and support for me and the fellas. We’ll be good to go. Huge win, onto the next.”
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49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo ‘May Not Start’ Against Packers, NFL Insider Says