Kyle Shanahan is hopeful that his quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, recovers enough from his calf injury to be available after the bye week. It sounds like the quarterback will have an opportunity to return as the starter for Week 7's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts after Trey Lance started in his place this weekend.
Shanahan spoke with reporters after today's 17-10 defeat at State Farm Stadium. He was asked if anything has changed regarding the team's quarterback situation. On Friday, the coach declared that Garoppolo would have been the Week 5 starter had the quarterback been healthy.
"No, nothing's changed," Shanahan told reporters. "That was just one game. It was a tough loss right there, and I'm going to talk to our whole team tomorrow and think about how we can get our whole team better coming back from the bye."
Of course, Garoppolo would need to be healthy enough to return. But it sounds like nothing from this latest defeat has swayed Shanahan away from his veteran starter.
Could Garoppolo be ready to go when the team starts preparing for Indianapolis?
"The fact that he had a chance this week, that gives me a lot of hope coming back [from the bye]," Shanahan responded. "I think any time you're dealing with calves and stuff like that, you never know how they're going to react.
"I think that was similar to with [George] Kittle. I thought he was going to be alright a couple of weeks ago, and now we're going on IR. So, I don't want to speak too soon, but hopefully."
Before the game, NFL insider Ian Rapoport appeared on NFL Network and said there was nothing Lance could do against the Cardinals to take the job away from Garoppolo.
"Trey Lance is not, from what I understand, expected to hold on to the job regardless of what happens today," Rapoport said. "If Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy next week, it is going to be his job. That is something that Kyle Shanahan has been consistent about. Trey Lance cannot win the job today."
Shanahan was asked if that report is accurate. His answer was interesting, given his earlier response regarding the quarterback situation.
"No," Shanahan answered. "I feel like they'd have to talk to me or John, and I don't talk to many people, especially the night before a game. Just my family."
Shanahan was then asked what his stance would be if Lance had a more impressive outing and emerged with the win. What if the rookie quarterback had thrown five touchdowns against the Cardinals and looked nearly flawless? The coach's response offered more insight into his thoughts regarding Rapoport's report.
"I mean, you guys are throwing out a lot of hypotheticals, especially [from] someone who made something up," Shanahan said. "Not you. Wherever you got that [initial report]."