The San Francisco 49ers may need to turn to rookie Trey Lance for an important Week 17 matchup Sunday against the Houston Texans after quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo reportedly sustained multiple injuries to his right thumb.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Garoppolo suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament of the right thumb and a fracture in the same thumb during last Thursday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Garoppolo missed practice on Monday and, according to Schefter, his status for the Texans game remains unknown.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Monday that the injury happened late in the second quarter when Titans defensive tackle Denico Autry sacked Garoppolo. Garoppolo finished the game but struggled to throw the ball, including throwing two interceptions.
“We knew his thumb was hurting him,” Shanahan said. “We thought he jammed it sometime in the game, so he tells us right when he comes to the bench.”
The 49ers enter Week 17 with an 8-7 record, third in the NFC West and tied with the Eagles for sixth overall in the conference.
Garoppolo has started all but one game for the 49ers this season, throwing 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 68 per cent completion rate.
Lance, the third-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has appeared in five games and made one start — a Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals — throwing three touchdowns, one interception and 354 yards this season.
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