Jimmy Garoppolo was given the starting nod at quarterback for the 49ers against the Colts, two weeks after he missed a start due to a calf injury. Garoppolo's performance against the Colts wasn't exactly confidence-inspiring, as he finished with 181 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on 16-of-27 passing along with one lost fumble.
But with rookie Trey Lance continuing to nurse the knee injury he sustained when he stepped in for Garoppolo in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, it's tough to say at this point who gives the 49ers the best chance to win next week against the Chicago Bears.
Shanahan was asked after the loss to the Colts if Garoppolo would remain the starting quarterback against the Bears and didn't exactly give the most emphatic endorsement in response but also didn't sound like he was itching to make the switch to Lance either.
"I would guess so," Shanahan said. "I'm going to watch this tape and see if guys are healthy, first of all, and know where our guys are at. It was good for Jimmy to be able to get healthy enough to play in this game today."
Shanahan later commented on what his approach will be in the days ahead on making a decision at quarterback, and at other positions as well.
"I've got a whole team to worry about. I'm not just thinking about the quarterback situation right now," Shanahan said. "I'm going to evaluate everything, see where our team's at, see who gives us the best chance to beat Chicago, and see what our options are. That's what you go into this week -- finding out your options. We had two quarterbacks who were hurting this week. Jimmy was able to come back and play and we'll see if Trey can next week. Still not sure yet, but I've got a lot of things to figure out."
As for Garoppolo's decision making against the Colts, Shanahan didn't seem to think there were too many issues. Accuracy seemed to be something Shanahan felt was a bigger problem.
"I didn't think there was a ton of bad decisions -- just missing throws. And you know obviously the ball got away from him a few times," Shanahan said.
The loss to the Colts was the fourth in a row for the 49ers, which might cause some fans to call for some lineup changes. In most likelihood, however, things will remain similar personnel-wise when the 49ers make the trip to Chicago next week.
"I think we have changed personnel a lot each week in these four games," Shanahan said. "So I'm not sitting and going (to) make something drastic right now. I'll go evaluate the tape and stuff and hopefully get a couple more guys back this week. But we'll look at who gives us the best chance and we'll evaluate those guys through the week and go off of that."
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