Jimmy Garoppolo ranked higher in QB power rankings than you think

The effort Jimmy Garoppolo gave in Week 3 against the Broncos was abysmal, but current quarterback power rankings suggest he’s not close to the bottom.

If you’re a critic of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, you’re probably thinking his efforts during the Niners’ lackluster 11-10 Week 3 loss to the Denver Broncos in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football should drop him way down towards the very bottom of quarterback power rankings.

It’d be hard to argue that. After all, Garoppolo was atrocious aside from San Francisco’s second drive that culminated in him tossing a touchdown to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, which was then followed by a series of dreadful possessions that resulted in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense finishing the game going 1-of-10 on third downs.

Ugly.

In fact, both Garoppolo and Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson were both pretty bad, the game’s difference being Wilson putting together a go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter that eventually catapulted Denver to a win.

Wilson, as 49ers fans know too well, has always been capable of doing such things, particularly against the Niners over the last 10-plus years. Garoppolo, meanwhile, tossed a predictable fourth-quarter interception in response while trying to get the Niners to reclaim the lead.

So, as far as all starting quarterbacks are concerned, Jimmy G has to be towards the very bottom in NFL power rankings, right?

Well, not so fast.

Jimmy Garoppolo ranks surprisingly high in Week 4 quarterback NFL power rankings

There’s no getting around the fact that Garoppolo’s play from Week 3 was some of the worst quarterbacking seen over the course of the season thus far, particularly from an experienced starter within an offense that boasts a great deal of weaponry: names like Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle.

Interestingly enough, though, Garoppolo found himself much closer to the middle of the pack in Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports’ Week 4 quarterback NFL power rankings.

Jimmy G made it all the way to 17th despite Week 3 being so ugly, and Benjamin’s explanation was as follows:

"The 49ers got the full package of Jimmy G on Sunday night. The savvy vet showed nice rhythm early, giving Kyle Shanahan a reliable offensive figurehead, but he also ended the night with a handful of absent-minded errors, including stepping out of the end zone for a safety."

Granted, Benjamin dropped Garoppolo three spots after the quarterback entered the fray in relief of now-injured San Francisco starter Trey Lance in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks.

But the fact Garoppolo is right next to the median of 32 current starters is quite the surprise.

Read More: Jimmy Garoppolo headlines list of 49ers duds from Week 3 loss to Broncos

However, this probably says more about the level of lackluster quarterbacking elsewhere around the NFL than any sort of endorsement of Garoppolo. In comparison, the five QBs ranked directly below Jimmy G are as follows:

• Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts (18th)
• Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders (19th)
• Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (20th)
• Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints (21st)
• Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (22nd)

The quarterbacking performances don’t get any prettier moving down the list.

If there’s room for optimism, though, Garoppolo’s efforts under center can’t get much worse for the 49ers than they were last Sunday night, and the Niners certainly aren’t alone in the cast of floundering offenses within the NFC either.

All one needs to do is hope San Francisco strings together a couple of “get right” games for both Jimmy G and the offense to find some continuity and rhythm.