As far as Kyle Shanahan has seen, it’s the same Jimmy Garoppolo this week.
Garoppolo suffered his first loss as an NFL starting quarterback in Week 1 in a loss to the Vikings at Minnesota. After seven straight winning starts with the Patriots and 49ers, Garoppolo absorbed a defeat while also making several mistakes, including three interceptions.
But this week, as the 49ers turned their attention to Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions at Levi’s Stadium, Shanahan told reporters that Garoppolo has been the same player he’s been since he arrived in the Bay Area last October.
“It’s been the exact same,” Shanahan said of Garoppolo’s approach and demeanor in practices and meetings. “I’d be disappointed if it was different. Jimmy tries his hardest every week. I know he didn’t have his best game last week, but he doesn’t need to come in here and make stuff up. He’s had some successful games in this league. He’s going to have plenty more. He just needs to get back to work.
“He went against a good defense, they made some good plays and we missed some. That’s what it was and now we’re ready to do better this week.”
Garoppolo said he gave himself 24 hours to think about the loss at Minnesota, then turned his attention to getting ready for Detroit.
“I come in here every day grinding, trying to be the best quarterback for this team that I can be. As long as I have that mindset, I think I’ll be all right.”
Sports
Garoppolo will go against a head coach who certainly knows all about him. New Lions coach Matt Patricia was the defensive coordinator for the Patriots for many years and faced Garoppolo every day in practice.
Said Garoppolo: “Matty P’s a smart coach and I’m sure they’ll have something game-planned for us.”
For his part, Patricia has no doubt Garoppolo will rebound this Sunday. Garoppolo will be a challenge to stop, Patricia told the Detroit Free Press.
“He’s very mobile. He does a great job of getting his eyes downfield. He’s got an extremely strong arm, he’s very confident in his ability to make plays and he just does a really good job of kind of leading an offense from that standpoint … Really good player,” said Patricia.
Oddsmakers are in Garoppolo’s corner. They’ve made the 49ers 6-point favorites. Sunday’s kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m.
