Jimmy Garoppolo Addresses Multiple Injuries, Status for Packers Game

The 49ers quarterback sustained a sprained shoulder in the wild-card round.
Jimmy Garoppolo Addresses Multiple Injuries, Status for Packers Game
Jimmy Garoppolo Addresses Multiple Injuries, Status for Packers Game /

While Jimmy Garoppolo said he expects to play on Saturday, the 49ers quarterback acknowledged that he has a couple of injury concerns to work through.

Garoppolo entered the 23–17 wild-card win over the Cowboys last weekend with an injured thumb and said he hurt his shoulder in the second quarter trying to protect his thumb. 

“Got thrown down, went to put my hand out, and sort of had it in my head if my thumb hit I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Garoppolo said Tuesday. “So, yeah, tried to catch it with my elbow a little bit and just jammed the shoulder up. Yeah, that was about it.”

There was a noticeable difference in the 30-year-old quarterback's performance against the Cowboys following the injury. Garoppolo threw for 133 yards on 11-for-14 passing in the first half but struggled with only 39 yards and an interception on 5-for-11 passing in the second half. 

“The shoulder, being a quarterback, it affects every throw,” Garoppolo said. “It definitely had some impact. If I'm out there and being put in that spot, I gotta still make the plays that I'd normally make. So no excuses or anything like that. This injury is what it is, we're all dealing with stuff now.”

On Tuesday, Kyle Shanahan said Garoppolo sprained his shoulder against the Cowboys and would be limited in practice, which left some doubting the quarterback's chances to play against the Packers in the divisional round. 

But when asked if he was confident of playing Saturday, Garoppolo didn't seem worried. 

“Yeah. I mean, we'll feel it out throughout the week,” he said. “Feeling good right now.” 

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Andrew Gastelum
ANDREW GASTELUM

Andrew Gastelum is a programming editor and writer at Sports Illustrated who specializes in soccer, the Olympics and international sports. He joined the SI staff in March 2021 and previously contributed to Howler Magazine and NBC Sports. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame alum and is currently based in Italy.