San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo continues to impress fans, his coaches, and teammates. The 49ers may not be playoff-bound, but they look like a team on the cusp of something special having won four-straight games and five of the last six.
During Sunday's 44-33 victory over the playoff-bound Jacksonville Jaguars, Garoppolo completed 21 of his 30 pass attempts for 242 yards, two touchdowns, an interception, and a passer rating of 102.4.
With Garoppolo at the helm of the offense, the 49ers look like a much-improved team, and his winning attitude appears to be spreading to his teammates.
"It is his drive, man," rookie linebacker Reuben Foster said following the game. "It is contagious. With him talking you know that he is for real. He loves the game."
Garoppolo's 1,250 passing yards while starting for the 49ers are the most by a quarterback during his first four starts in franchise history.
"Jimmy G has definitely been a big difference for us," running back Carlos Hyde said. "Just him coming in with that natural leadership he already has. It just has been really good for us. Putting these games back-to-back, even winning close games where at the beginning of the season we lost close games."
The 49ers are getting used to winning football games. The success they have enjoyed in recent weeks with Garoppolo at quarterback is something that can be carried over into next season.
"It feels great," cornerback Dontae Johnson said. "You can feel the vibe in the locker room, in this building, during practice and on game day. It is very contagious. It is something that we have been missing, and we are enjoying it. We are going to keep thriving off our current success."
Veteran left tackle Joe Staley was asked to try to identify what has helped the 49ers win four consecutive games.
"Jimmy is playing great football for us at the quarterback position," Staley said. "It is probably the most important position in team sports. He is doing a terrific job out there. He raises all shifts up there, and everybody is playing really good football right now. We have a close locker room. I am really proud to be a part of it. It is pretty special here."
49ers teammates aren't the only ones impressed with Garoppolo. Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone was asked about the 49ers quarterback but didn't credit just Garoppolo for San Francisco's turnaround.
"I've just watched the games with Jimmy Garoppolo playing," Marrone said. "I thought they did a great job, and I thought the defense was starting to gel. They're doing a nice job communication-wise, and special teams is playing well. I saw a team that is really a strong football team. Obviously, they got after us today. I have a lot of respect for them. They did a good job."
Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey was impressed with Garoppolo and the 49ers as a whole.
"He's very good for their system," Ramsey said. "They found the right quarterback to go with their system ... They really executed well today. What they did today against us is what they did. They looked good."