NFL Network's Ian Rapoport revealed more information about the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo. According to the NFL insider, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback suffered a torn ligament and chipped bone in his right thumb. Those are details that head coach Kyle Shanahan failed to mention to reporters during a conference call after Monday's practice.
Sources: #49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a chipped bone and torn ligament in his right thumb. His status is in doubt for this weekend, but he's going to try to gut it out, somehow. He'll be reevaluated on Wednesday.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 27, 2021
Garoppolo did not participate in Monday's bonus practice.
A reporter asked Shanahan if Garoppolo suffered a fracture, and the coach stated the quarterback sustained a right thumb sprain at the end of the second quarter of last Thursday night's 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans. He added that the 49ers would re-evaluate Garoppolo on Wednesday.
"It didn't feel great today," Shanahan said of the injury. "He wasn't able to throw today, and we'll see how it is on Wednesday. Hopefully, it will get better."
ESPN's Adam Schefter later reported that Garoppolo suffered a UCL tear and fracture, which would be a more serious injury than the coach disclosed.
49ers' QB Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a right thumb UCL tear along with a fracture, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 27, 2021
It sounds like the chances of rookie Trey Lance making his second NFL start are increasing.
"I think this last month with Trey has been his best consecutive four weeks of practice since we've had him," Shanahan said of Lance. "He's had a number of good days, and he's had some bad days like most guys do. But as far as his consistency and stuff, I feel this last month has been his best."
The 49ers sit at 8-7 and are currently the sixth seed in the NFC playoff picture. Even a single loss could severely hurt the team's playoff chances. San Francisco is preparing to host the Houston Texans on Sunday and finish the regular season against the Los Angeles Rams.