Now, Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports 1 comes to Garoppolo's defense. The host of The Herd can't understand why so many remain skeptical of the 49ers quarterback. He believes there is more pressure on the Kansas City Chiefs, not San Francisco, to beat Garoppolo and the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
"I'm not a 'stat guy,' I'm an 'eye guy,'" Cowherd said. "Watch the games."
For those interested in statistics, though, Cowherd notes that Garoppolo has the eighth-highest passer rating despite the 49ers having to deal with several injuries this season, including losing both their offensive tackles, their All-Pro tight end, and their Pro Bowl fullback for several games.
"Their schedule was brutal," Cowherd continued. "The Packers' schedule was cupcake city. Kansas City got schedule breaks. Not San Francisco. It was brutal at the end of the year."
And for those pointing to Kyle Shanahan being the only reason Garoppolo has been successful, Cowherd notes that the 49ers head coach is 4-20 without Garoppolo and 21-5 with him.
Cowherd asks, "What is everybody not seeing?"
Cowherd goes on to pick the 49ers to win Super Bowl LIV. He thinks their brutal schedule makes them more battle-tested. Cowherd likes that they come in as the underdog, feels their defensive line and offensive line are better than the Chiefs' units, and he likes that the Niners are healthy.
Cowherd does admit that, despite his admiration of Garoppolo, the Chiefs have the better quarterback.
"Obviously, Mahomes is a superstar," Cowherd said. "Jimmy Garoppolo is super talented. He's not Patrick Mahomes, but he's really talented."
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