San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is dealing with a thumb injury. Some believe we may have seen the last of the veteran passer in red and gold. Rookie Trey Lance could start on Sunday against the Houston Texans. Garoppolo may have already lost his starting job once he can return, especially if Lance performs at a high level in his place.
NFL Network's and FOX Sports' Peter Schrager believes there might be no turning back if Lance gets his shot to finish out the season for the playoff-hopeful Niners.
"Yeah, it might be time to rip that Band-Aid off, and not just for this week, but for the remainder of the run," Schrager told FS1's Colin Cowherd. "Jimmy Garoppolo did not play well on Thursday, injury or not. And the truth of the matter is Trey Lance has been playing well in practice over the last month.
"He's healthy, and there was a wonder around the league, 'Are we going to see him? Jimmy's playing great. Let's stick with Jimmy.' Jimmy did not play great against the Titans."
Garoppolo was 26-of-35 passing for 322 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans last Thursday night but tossed two costly interceptions in the 20-17 loss. On top of that, he is dealing with the newly revealed injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan called it a thumb sprain, but other reports state Garoppolo suffered a UCL tear and a chipped bone in his thumb, which might severely impact his ability to grip the football.
The situation could lead to Lance making his second NFL start and taking part in his first in-game action since Week 5.
"I'll just say this: Trey Lance might be the biggest X-factor in the NFC moving forward because what if he does have [an understanding of the] whole playbook that Kyle Shanahan has been working on with him?" Schrager said. "What if he does have an element to his game that we haven't seen yet. There's no tape on him. There's no film on him. And we know what we're getting with Jimmy.
"This might be an interesting start against Houston. They play the Rams in Week 18. They might make the playoffs. I wouldn't be shocked if it's Trey Lance's job from here on out."
The 49ers host the Texans on Sunday and then close out the regular season on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. If they win out, they are guaranteed a playoff berth.