Power ranking 49ers 10 best players in 2019 regular season

No. 5: Jimmy Garoppolo

The big burning question for 2019 was: Is Jimmy Garoppolo a franchise quarterback?

The burning answer in 2020 is: Yes, yes he is.

There’s simply no doubt as to what Garoppolo brings to the table. While he does make the odd puzzling throw, when you take into account that his interception total is vastly inflated by dropped catches, he’s been a superb quarterback.

Garoppolo was 329-of-476 passing (a 69.1 percent completion rate) for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He had four fourth-quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives for the season.

Perhaps the biggest example of how clutch he is came in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Rams, where he threw for two first downs on 3rd-and-16 plays to set up the winning field goal and keep the 49ers’ hopes for the top seed alive.

In the first half of the season, the team didn’t need to lean on him much, as the running game and defense thrived. However, when the team relied on him to keep the momentum up when they faltered, he stepped up.

One year after a torn ACL, no less.

There is no doubt anymore, Garoppolo is a franchise quarterback.