ESPN personality Mina Kimes got much pushback about her criticism of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Football personalities like former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia questioned Kimes’ credentials in making such statements.
As expected, other hosts from the sports network took time to defend their colleague.
Kimes isn’t the only one pointing out Garoppolo’s lack of contributions during the team’s playoff run.
Therefore, it’s good to look at their contentions against San Francisco’s starter.
Winning While Doing Little
Fox Sports’ Erin Andrews shared during her recent guest spot on “The Pat McAfee Show” that the 49ers’ locker room loves Garoppolo.
However, during her rant on “First Take,” Kimes points out that San Francisco is winning despite his performance during the postseason.
The team’s run is astonishing, especially now that they are just one win away from their second Super Bowl stint in three years.
The Niners started to play well from a losing record earlier in the season and defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 to clinch a playoff berth.
"A lot of people give him crap for whatever, but he's as cool and collected as a QB as I've ever had.
He's the perfect guy to lead us to where we need to go."
-Nick Bosa on Jimmy Garoppolo pic.twitter.com/xAIuI6SIf5
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 23, 2022
Ironically, that’s the same team standing between them and their Super Bowl aspirations.
The 49ers won two road games against the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers to stay alive.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to see how Garoppolo is helping their cause.
The former Eastern Illinois standout only had 16 completions for 172 yards and an interception against the Cowboys.
I feel like The Jimmy Garoppolo Debate was already answered pretty convincingly by The Actual 49ers, who made a majorly aggressive trade to get a QB in the draft, making it clear their braintrust considers “having a better QB than Jimmy Garoppolo” to be critically important
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) January 28, 2022
Instead, the 49ers backfield carried the offense with 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Deebo Samuel was all over the field with 110 all-purpose yards.
Likewise, their defense limited the Cowboys’ run game to 77 yards while generating five sacks.
Garoppolo’s performance was even worse against the Packers, completing only 11 passes for 131 yards and an interception.
Kyle Shanahan: "I'm glad they're sticking up for him, because what they say is the truth. Jimmy (Garoppolo) is one of the main reasons we're here."
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) January 27, 2022
Yet, the Niners found a way to win through special teams.
A touchdown off a blocked punt and two field goals were enough to send them to the NFC Championship Game.
Their defense came up big again, limiting Green Bay to 69 rushing yards and ten points.
Garoppolo Is Not Playing Well
He’s lucky that football is a team sport, and the other units can mask his shortcomings.
Otherwise, the 49ers wouldn’t be playing deep into the 2021 playoffs.
Come Championship Sunday, he will be facing Matthew Stafford, who is yet to throw an interception throughout the postseason.
On the other hand, Garoppolo is yet to throw a touchdown.
Jimmy Garoppolo is 15-4 as an underdog in his career
Garoppolo’s .789 win % as an underdog is the highest among any QB during the Super Bowl era
The 49ers are currently 3.5 point underdogs on Sunday
— Jordan Elliott (@splash_cousin) January 28, 2022
Key quarterback metrics also indicate that he’s more a liability than an asset.
His 61.4 completion percentage ranks tenth among 14 quarterbacks who played in the postseason.
Meanwhile, his yards per game (151.5) and touchdowns (0) rank 13th and 14th, respectively.
Unlike the Cowboys and the Packers, the Rams have a menacing defensive line led by three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.
Jimmy Garoppolo on dealing with all the BS pic.twitter.com/JEliNTIqTJ
— John Chapman (@JL_Chapman) January 27, 2022
If Garoppolo continues to play this way, the Niners are in trouble, and they can kiss Super Bowl LVI goodbye.
When that happens, even those who defended Garoppolo will quickly scorn his futility.
NEXT: 49ers Seeking To Continue Shocking Super Bowl Trend
