49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was conspicuously missing from Monday’s practice in Santa Clara, according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows. Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Garoppolo sprained his right thumb on a second-quarter sack in Thursday's contest against the Tennessee Titans, as rookie quarterback Trey Lance took the practice reps with No. 1 offense Monday.
"It's a thumb sprain," Shanahan told reporters via conference call. "I think you guys know how those are. It didn't feel great today. Wasn't able to throw today, we'll see how it is on Wednesday, hopefully it will get better."
ESPN's Adam Schefter cast doubt on Shanahan's comments to reporters, however. After initially tweeting that the injury was feared to be "more significant" than a sprain, Schefter reported Monday afternoon that Garoppolo suffered a right thumb UCL tear with a fracture.
That type of injury is also known as "gamekeeper's thumb" or "skier's thumb" and could require 4-6 weeks of recovery time in a splint. The 49ers have two regular season games left.
If Garoppolo is out for an extended period of time, this could open the door for the Trey Lance era in San Francisco. Could the 49ers be seeing their Drew Bledsoe/Tom Brady passing-of-the-torch moment?
A large sect of 49ers fans has been clamoring for more playing time for the No. 3 overall pick Lance, who has played just six meaningful quarters of action while other first-round rookie quarterbacks have racked up experience. The 49ers used three first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up to select the dual-threat Lance in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The 49ers got to work early this week after playing Thursday night against the Titans, where Garoppolo threw two costly interceptions in a 20-17 loss. Shanahan said Garoppolo's thumb may have affected him on the second pick. The defeat caused the 49ers to lose their grip on their postseason destiny heading into Monday night’s Miami Dolphins-New Orleans Saints matchup.
Ben Meyerson of Sports Illustrated shared video of the play where Garoppolo got hurt.
Garoppolo has been the target of frequent criticism this year despite leading the team to an 8-6 record in his 14 starts this season. Jimmy G, who turned his season around in Week 8 at the Chicago Bears, has completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,494 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But he hardly makes high-risk, high-reward throws and usually keeps the offense on a short leash, relying on yards after the catch from players like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk.
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If Garoppolo is out for an extended period of time, Lance will be thrown in to the middle of a muddled NFC playoff race. The 49ers have two games remaining in the regular season but currently don't control their own destiny heading into Monday night's Miami-New Orleans matchup
Lance has completed 25-of-48 passes (52.1 percent) for 354 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while rushing 30 times for 137 yards and a score. He took over for Garoppolo (calf injury) at halftime of Week 4 and started in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, but was sidelined for the next three games due to a knee injury.
Shanahan said "there's a chance" Lance could play against the Texans.
"This last month of Trey has been his best, consecutive four weeks of practice since we've had him," Shanahan said. "He's had a number of good days and some bad guys, like most guys do, but I feel like his consistency and stuff, this last month has been his best."
