The Jimmy Garoppolo versus Kirk Cousins hype is building. Sunday's game between the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings will be seen by the majority of the country, according to 506sports.com.
There are a lot of high expectations for the 49ers quarterback this season after his strong finish last year. After all, Garoppolo finally had an offseason to learn the nuances of head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.
Stephen A. Smith of ESPN, however, isn't expecting the quarterback to come out of the gate strong. Most of that has to do with the situation he is heading into on Sunday.
"I expect him to have a very, very rough afternoon," Smith said during "First Take" this week. "He's on the road at Minnesota. I expect him to have a very, very rough time. If Jimmy Garoppolo shows up in this contest, it's going to say a lot to me.
"Obviously, it's Week 1. A lot of times, a lot of guys, they ain't getting their reps in preseason, in training camp, or what have you, and as a result of that, you expect to see the kind of sloppiness that we witnessed last night between Philadelphia and Atlanta.
"What I will say is this: Minnesota is considered to be so elite as a defense that I think it will go a long way because it's a road game to open the season. And considering the fact that it's at Minnesota against this defense, I'd have to sit up there and raise an eyebrow (if Garoppolo played well)."
Smith went on to clarify that he believes Garoppolo has the makings of a good quarterback. It's just that the Vikings defense is a tough test to open the season. It was the top-ranked defense in the league last year and ranked No. 2 against both the run and pass.
"Now, Jimmy Garoppolo, 41.2 yards per drive last year when he was the starting quarterback for the 49ers," Smith said. "Had he played the full season, that would have led the league. We can't ignore what we're seeing from him. We get it.
"But I do think as good and as gifted as I think he is, I do believe there have been a lot of people, yourself included Molly (Qerim), who have been quick to hype him up. And I want to see, now that you get a chance to prepare for this man — and that's not to say it didn't happen last year — but now this year, he's the man now, the new $137 million man, I want to see what he brings."
Given how much better the Vikings defense is perceived to be when compared to the 49ers' group, Smith would be shocked to see Garoppolo outplay new Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins. While Garoppolo may be the 49ers' $27.5 million per year man, Cousins was the Vikings' $28 million guaranteed per year offseason prize.
"By the way, if Jimmy G outshines Kirk Cousins, that's going to be a bad look for Kirk Cousins this week," Smith added.