The San Francisco 49ers can't catch a break. Just when they were getting healthy and back on track and had a shot at making the NFL playoffs, QB1 Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a potentially season-ending injury.
And, even though Garoppolo hasn't been much of a fan favorite at the Bay, it's worth saying that he's been fairly efficient during the Niners' surge. While never more than a game manager, he's done a great job of balancing his team's offense.
Now, ProFootballTalk reports that the injury he suffered is way worse than originally expected, stating that he has a chipped bone and a torn ligament in his throwing thumb and will miss at least Sunday's clash with the Houston Texans.
Kyle Shanahan Says Trey Lance's Been At His Best As Of Late
Even so, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan doesn't seem to be worried at all. Per him, third-overall pick Trey Lance has been on a roll in practice over the last couple of weeks and he could've even subbed in for Garoppolo if he wasn't playing well:
"I don't really want to decide that until I watch the Texans, and we just finished with our guys, so I'm about to jump into them now. But there's a chance (Lance starts)," Shanahan said, per 49ers Web Zone.
"I think this last month with Trey has been his best consecutive four weeks of practice since we've had him," the coach added. "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 and stuff, I feel this last month has been his best. I feel like if that was the case at any time this year, if Jimmy, he was struggling to throw at his best, I think we would have gone with Trey."
Lance has untapped potential but is still a work in progress and it showed during his brief time as a starter. Now, he'll have another prime opportunity to prove that he's the future of the organization.
