When the San Francisco 49ers left the locker room to begin the second half of their Sunday game against the Miami Dolphins, the bad news was already circulating. What happened to Jimmy? The Niners’ starting quarterback had suffered a permanent injury for the second time this season. This time, Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a broken left foot while dealing a big blow to one of the top teams of the NFL.
Jimmy G, or James Richard Garoppolo, was born on 2nd November 1991 and played as the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL. At Eastern Illinois, where he played college football, he won the Walter Payton Award as a senior and established school records for his touchdowns and passing yards. The New England Patriots selected Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft, and he served as Brady’s backup for the first four seasons of his career.
By winning the final five games of the year after being traded to the 49ers towards the end of 2017, Garoppolo helped a 1-10 team turn things around. He led the 49ers to the NFC’s best record in 2019 and a spot in Super Bowl LIV.
He drove the team to the 2021 NFC Championship game. He missed a large portion of the 2018 and 2020 seasons due to his injuries in San Francisco. When team starter Trey Lance suffered an injury in week two of the 2022 season, he was promoted to the team’s starting line-up.
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The Sunday Game Injury In A Little Depth
Garoppolo was hurt on the first drive of the 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins and needed constant medical supervision, and was going to miss the rest of the campaign. Coach Kyle Shanahan remarked, “It’s quite crushing as they were aware of Jimmy’s struggles and his dedication to this. So as a team, with everything that transpired during the game, made the victory note-worthy.”
Eight plays into the Niners’ first drive of their 33-17 victory, the incident occurred. Linebacker Jerome Baker and the end Jaelan Phillips of the dolphins converged on Garoppolo for a sack with 11 minutes, 22 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Garoppolo tried to maintain his forward momentum, but when he was knocked to the ground by Phillips, his left foot got trapped. After carefully making his way to the sideline and inside the blue medical tent, Garoppolo entered before a cart emerged to transport him to the locker room for further checkups.
After taking over for Garoppolo, rookie Brock Purdy connected with fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a 4-yard touchdown on his first drive. In total, he completed 25 of 37 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception for a passer rating of 88.8.
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Will Garoppolo Make A Comeback This Season?
As per the news, doctors have concluded that Garoppolo did not inflict Lisfranc injuries on the broken left leg and will not require surgery. It is possible that with proper rehabilitation, he can make a comeback after 7-8 weeks.
A possible return to Garoppolo hinges on whether the Niners make enough progress in the postseason, with a seven-week schedule weighing on the NFC Division’s chances of his return to the rounds and his success in the NFC Championship. It means eight weeks’ comeback. It becomes a game. The Super Bowl is ten weeks away.
Niner’s manager Kyle Shanahan said Monday that the news of Garoppolo’s injury appeared to be better than what it was initially feared to be, but no official diagnosis was made until Garoppolo visited several doctors and received reports. He said he didn’t want to. “So they’re still trying to get it cleared and fixed,” Shanahan said Monday. But we feel like it’s starting to get better, so we’ll see when we get some official info… his part to contribute.
Even after recovery, he still has to tick a few boxes to return. He has to immobilize his leg until the fracture heals. After that designated time, to play again, he must have enough leg mobility to run and perform what a quarterback needs to do, plus the 49ers should secure Garoppolo’s spot in the team.
They could add him to their list as the third quarterback behind starter Brock Purdy and veteran Josh Johnson or put him on the injured list and bring him back if deemed playable. The latter option can be difficult as The Niners have already used six of their eight injury reserves this year, so they want to use Javon and running back Elijah Mitchell once they are recovered from their knee injuries.
Of course, the quarterback’s A spot could be prioritized, and there is no guarantee that either Kinlaw or Mitchell will be active. The Niners also said quarterback Trey Lance, who is recovering from a right ankle injury, is on the injury list.
The Niners now have planned to include Purdy as the starter and Johnson as a backup. The Niners have not filed a waiver claim for released quarterback Baker Mayfield, sources said, as Shanahan noted on Monday. The Los Angeles Rams asked Mayfield to waive Tuesday. As there is new hope for Jimmy G to return, I hope he makes a quick recovery and is back during playoffs.
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