GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – JANUARY 22: San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo (10) waves to the gang after beating the Inexperienced Bay Packers 13-10 for his or her NFC divisional playoff NFL recreation at Lambeau Subject in Inexperienced Bay, Wi., on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
GREEN BAY, Wis. — There’s no rational cause that Jimmy Garoppolo is one recreation away from making the Tremendous Bowl for the second time in three years.
Not a one.
In any case, this can be a league the place quarterbacks writer groups’ fates. Garoppolo is but to throw a landing on this postseason. He has, nonetheless, thrown two interceptions and averaged a paltry 151 yards a recreation.
These usually are not successful performances. Perhaps they may very well be within the Seventies, however not on this pass-happy league.
And but there the Niners are, on the cusp of one other NFC title.
How is that this taking place?
I've a concept, and it’s been loosely corroborated by Garoppolo’s teammates, who've finished nothing however rave about their quarterback and his management skills over the previous couple of weeks, a continuation of the reward he’s obtained since he’s come to the Bay Space.
I feel that Garoppolo is incapable of internalizing unhealthy play. He exudes confidence — rational or irrational — always.
He's the other of a head case. And that, paired with the simple expertise that’s wanted to be a beginning quarterback in his league, makes him the proper quarterback for this 49ers’ crew.
Sure, it'd drive his coaches — all of that are tied up in knots — loopy, however that regular weight-reduction plan of optimism can’t assist however rub off on his teammates.
And when the moments are large, there’s no higher high quality to have than confidence.
Garoppolo has it in spades.
We’ve seen it so many occasions over his 49ers profession — he’s dug the Niners out of a gap that he, himself, dug earlier within the recreation.
We’ve seen it time and again and once more this season. The Niners have been keeping off the tip of their season since mid-November.
Garoppolo hasn’t significantly performed properly for the reason that calendar flipped to December — he has seven touchdowns to eight interceptions over his final seven video games — however he has authored large drives that helped put the Niners within the playoffs (Week 14 vs. Cincinnati, Week 18 vs. the Rams) and the Niners have gone 8-2 with him on the helm since Week 10.
Different groups — lesser groups — would possibly want high quarterback play to win video games.
The 49ers apparently don’t. They’re simply that good in all places else.
San Francisco merely wants Garoppolo to not lose the sport. They only want him to proceed to feed optimism to the remainder of the group.
And whereas it is perhaps a detailed name at occasions, he has finished it.
“I’m impressed together with his demeanor as a frontrunner,” Nick Bosa stated after Saturday’s Divisional Spherical win over the Packers — a recreation the Niners received behind a 45-yard area purpose as time expired; a area purpose arrange by one other Garoppolo game-winning drive.
“Lots of people give him crap for no matter however he’s as cool and picked up as a quarterback that I’ve ever had and he's the proper man to steer us to the place we have to go.”
No, it doesn’t appear logical. Sure, it hardly appears sustainable. I nonetheless imagine the proof of high quality within the NFL is discovered within the margins and the margins for the 49ers are razor-thin — they’re all the time pushing it till the ultimate second.
However maybe I’ve been overthinking it.
Maybe I ought to merely neglect the Xs and oh-no throws and embrace good vibes No. 10 exudes.
The 49ers are a fantastic crew. Bosa is perhaps proper — the 49ers are so good they don’t want their quarterback to paved the way all recreation together with his play. No, they only want his optimistic demeanor and an uncanny knack for performing within the clutch.
Let the opposite crew’s quarterback soften underneath the brilliant lights. Garoppolo may not have the upside of MVP-candidate quarterbacks, however he’ll nonetheless be standing ultimately. He simply doesn’t get knocked down.
The final three weeks, we’ve seen it play out: Matt Stafford choked away the sport for the Rams in Week 18 with a horrible interception late. Dak Prescott refused to push the ball deep after which ended the Cowboys-Niners Wild Card Sport with a brainfart. After which on Sunday, Aaron Rodgers was all tousled, locking onto one receiver and collapsing within the second half.
Every time, Garoppolo was there to both press these opposing quarterbacks or benefit from the chance these choke jobs supplied San Francisco.
Garoppolo is perhaps a lame-duck quarterback, however he has dealt with this season with unimaginable professionalism and sophistication. Don’t neglect, he’s performed the final three video games with a busted thumb, and, for the final six quarters of play, a jammed shoulder.
He deserves a ton of credit score for these newest Niners wins.
It doesn’t must make sense how that is all taking place. It simply must maintain taking place.
Sure, there’s one thing magical — worrying, however enchanted — about this inconceivable 49ers season and Garoppolo is on the heart of all of it.
How a lot additional it goes is anybody’s guess.
However the truth that it’s made it this far makes Garoppolo’s successful qualities — irrespective of how peculiar or not possible to outline — simple.
And maybe that’s made these 49ers simple, too.