Last year, the San Francisco 49ers bullied the Green Bay Packers in both of their matchups, beating Aaron Rodgers in the regular season and in the NFC Championship by a combined 74-28.
Well, Thursday night was a different story. The Niners trailed the Packers 34-3 midway through the fourth quarter, ultimately losing 34-17.
The Niners, who played for a Super Bowl last season, fell to 4-5 with the loss and are in last place in the NFC West.
“If you look at the roster heading into the season, it’s a disappointment,” JR SportBrief said on CBS Sports Radio. “They’ve fallen flat. Their division is too competitive. The NFC West is too damn busy. This year is a wash, and this year is over.”
Nick Mullens, who started in place of an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, finished 22-of-35 for 291 yards, one touchdown, one interception and one fumble.
Of course, given the Packers’ dominance, Jimmy G might not have made much of a difference.
“When it comes down to Jimmy Garoppolo and the chances that he’s gotten, it doesn’t matter if he’s benched because of injury; it doesn’t matter if he’s benched because of his play,” JR said. “Either way, if your ass is on the bench, time’s up. It’s not like Jimmy Garoppolo is some old geezer. It’s not like Jimmy Garoppolo is at the end of his career. Jimmy Garoppolo is a young man in his prime. But is Jimmy Garoppolo a franchise quarterback? Is he somebody that’s showed that he’s been able to do it on a consistent stretch? I don’t think the answer is yes. I think the answer is no.”
Garoppolo has had his moments with the Niners, but between injuries and ineffectiveness, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Kyle Shanahan move on from him this offseason.
“This is not Eli Manning on the back end of his career,” JR said. “This isn’t Eli Manning not being able to get the ball out or throw deep to Odell Beckham Jr. This is a 29-year-old quarterback making $25 million a year that was on a team last year that went to the Super Bowl, and in a couple of months, he may be looking for a new team. If I’m the Niners, I want to look for a quarterback that will actually stay healthy, where I don’t have to worry about his shoulder, where I don’t have to worry about his ankle, his leg, his knees. So I think the time we’ve seen Jimmy Garoppolo in a Niners uniform, I think it’s over.”