San Francisco 49ers players praise Jimmy Garoppolo's ability to lead the team. The quarterback has continued to rack up wins as a starter and helped lead his team to a 13-3 regular-season record.
This past weekend, Garoppolo played in his first playoff game. Due to his lack of postseason experience as a starter, many wondered how he would perform against the Minnesota Vikings. His 49ers walked away from the game with a convincing 27-10 victory.
Another week, and another win for Garoppolo.
Now, with the NFC Championship Game just two days away, Garoppolo's critics are once again questioning his experience. More specifically, how would the 49ers quarterback perform if he needed to carry the team to a win. Is Garoppolo ready for the pressure that comes with such an important game?
"I think he's proven that throughout the year," head coach Kyle Shanahan responded on Friday. "Just because this game is called an NFC Championship Game, the last one was called a Divisional playoff game, other games are big games too. I know whoever doesn't do well, that's what people say, but it's just a game like all the others."
Shanahan was also asked how important Garoppolo's demeanor is for the locker room. The quarterback is the same guy he was when he joined the 49ers via a mid-season trade in 2017 as he is today, after signing a then-mega-deal in 2018 and helping this squad reach the conference title game this season.
"I think it's huge," Shanahan said. "I think that's why our guys follow him. Like in any instance, if Jimmy's struggling or if he's ballin, our guys would do anything for Jimmy. It's how he's been since the first day he got here when we traded for him with New England.
"He got here, and we were an 0-9 team, didn't know much (about) what was going on, but they just gravitated to him right away. I've seen nothing change. I've only seen it get stronger."
The 49ers host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday from Levi's Stadium with the kickoff scheduled for 3:40 p.m. PT.
