Jimmy Garoppolo: How many games does 49ers QB start in 2021?

So, how many games does Jimmy Garoppolo start?

There certainly are a lot of X-factors at stake, and a number of possibilities open up the door for Garoppolo to not see a full 17-game regular season.

Injuries are, perhaps, the biggest would-be cause behind an abbreviated season. Yet that assessment seems negligible if Jimmy G winds up missing a shade over just one game. Heck, if the 49ers wind up securing as much as they can by Week 18, in terms of playoff positioning, it’s possible Garoppolo winds up getting a one-game break while Lance and most of the backups start to close out the regular season.

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If Garoppolo and the Niners scuffle early, however, the Week 6 bye seems to be the perfect opportunity to make the transition to Lance.

By that account, Garoppolo would get five starts, that’s it.

If Garoppolo stays healthy and plays well, though, we’re likely looking at a minimum of 16 starts, leaving at least one to Lance to account for Jimmy G’s injury history and/or an unlikely but possible Week 18 rest game for the starters.

Yet as any football fan can admit, those X-factors never go away, and the unpredicted outcome is usually what happens anyway.