Jimmy Garoppolo missed Week 5 with a calf injury suffered a week earlier. He returned on Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts but delivered a sloppy performance on a rain-soaked Levi's Stadium field.
Garoppolo finished the game 16-of-27 for 181 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. While the outing looked like it might be enough to tempt the 49ers to at least consider a quarterback change this week, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he "would guess" Garoppolo remains the starter.
It wasn't exactly a confidence-inspiring response.
Garoppolo admits that his calf isn't at 100 percent yet, but the quarterback didn't use the injury as an excuse for Sunday night's loss or his performance.
"It held up, I would say," Garoppolo said of his calf while delivering an awkwardly-timed laugh. "I definitely felt it at times, but it sort of is what it is. I think all the guys out there, we're all playing with something right now. It's just kind of that point in the season."
Shanahan was asked if his starting quarterback looked hindered by the injury in his first game back.
"It didn't look like it to me," Shanahan answered. "... I didn't see that, and I think the whole offense and the whole team didn't play good enough."
San Francisco drafted Trey Lance in April, and the rookie started Week 5 in place of Garoppolo. It is unknown what it might take for Shanahan to move forward with a quarterback switch, but a recent fan poll indicates that The Faithful might welcome it.
Garoppolo doesn't have a good track record when it comes to staying healthy. He has been injured in three of his last four seasons, including this one. Is this latest injury something Garoppolo might have to manage for a while?
"I don't know," an unsure Garoppolo responded. "We'll see. I feel it, but it's not hindering me at all."