Jimmy Garoppolo was better than Joe Montana in this one stat

Yes, there’s actually a meaningful stat where Jimmy Garoppolo performed better than the great Joe Montana over the course of 49ers lore.

Please, for the love of all that’s good and glorious, don’t read too deeply into this. Even though we know you fully will anyway.

But there’s actually one particular stat that carries meaning where San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was better than the Niners’ greatest quarterback of all time, Hall of Famer Joe Montana.

Best winning percentage on the road in the modern-football era.

As Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports pointed out, Garoppolo’s .750 winning percentage actually bests Montana’s .716 road-winning percentage over his legendary career, and there are some pretty notable quarterbacks from other teams that Jimmy G has beaten out so far on that list, too:

Almost as good as the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, better than the GOAT, Tom Brady. Impressive, right?

Officially, Garoppolo is 24-8 in regular-season road games, so that’s of note here. Players like Montana and Brady have far greater sample sizes.

But that’s the beauty of percentages. They don’t have to take into account the volume.

Don’t read too deeply into Jimmy Garoppolo road-win percentage

OK, there’s something to be said about San Francisco’s struggles dating back to 2017 when Garoppolo arrived at the NFL trade deadline and when he’s been on the field. Garoppolo’s win-loss record since joining the 49ers is 31-14 overall during the regular season, and he’s helped the Niners get to two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl during that tenure.

“Quarterback wins,” however, is an awfully hollow stat, though, and it often fails to take into account how good the supporting roster is, how efficient the coaching staff is and so on. Granted, good quarterbacks tend to elevate their teams regardless of talent levels.

Read More: 4 teams that may employ Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022

But in Jimmy G’s case, one might argue it’s been the other way around. Perhaps, “the Niners have won despite Garoppolo’s shortcomings, not solely because of his abilities.”

Maybe that’s why San Francisco is actively looking to turn the page on Jimmy G in favor of its 2021 top NFL Draft pick, Trey Lance.

Either way, those Garoppolo fans out there will certainly use Kerr’s stat breakdown in support of the argument of keeping the veteran quarterback around this season and beyond.

Or, at the very least, supporting him wherever he winds up playing in 2022.