Power ranking Jimmy Garoppolo, other NFC West quarterbacks in Week 12

Jimmy Garoppolo has the 49ers playing well as of late, but where does he stack up against the other NFC West quarterbacks heading into Week 12?

It might seem strange, but San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo might actually be the best-performing signal-caller in the NFC West the last three weeks.

No homerism. No wild takes that wouldn’t make sense on any other non-Niners site.

If we were to merely use a three-week evaluatory period, Garoppolo could and should be right up there towards the top of the division, perhaps at the very top. True, it’s partially aided by the fact the Arizona Cardinals have been without star quarterback Kyler Murray because of his injury, while Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford had two bad games before LA’s Week 11 bye.

And, well, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson hasn’t looked anything like his usual self since returning from his broken finger.

Then there’s Garoppolo:

Does this mean Garoppolo is a better quarterback than Stafford, Murray or Wilson? No, not even close. If fans had to choose one of those four to pitch a must-win game, Garoppolo would probably be the last on the list.

Still, let’s open up the discussion a bit more by bringing in some NFL power rankings and apply them to the NFC West quarterbacks, including some who’d probably be nothing more than backups if it weren’t for injuries and other X-factors.

No. 7: Trey Lance, 49ers

It only seems like a month ago (because it was) when San Francisco fans were clamoring for head coach Kyle Shanahan to bench Garoppolo in favor of the No. 3 overall pick from this year’s NFL Draft, Trey Lance.

Garoppolo’s recent play won’t allow Shanahan to do that anytime soon, though, and Lance only scantly saw the field in garbage time during the 49ers’ lopsided 30-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11.

Between that and Lance’s lone start way back against the Cardinals in Week 5, the rookie didn’t see the field.

Until the Niners are eliminated from contention, injuries or a complete Garoppolo meltdown take place, Lance won’t be seeing much of the field at all for the rest of 2021, putting him at the back end of NFC West quarterback power rankings.