5 NFC West headlines to look for in 2018
By Cody Rivera
1. Jimmy Garoppolo makes the Niners a contender
Something that doesn’t happen very often in the NFL is a team being completely turned around by a single player. But that’s exactly what happened when the San Francisco 49ers acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots for just a second round draft pick.
The Niners became a completely different team, and it showed right away. They started the 2017 season at a miserable 1-10, but after Jimmy G. arrived, they went 5-0 to end the year.
The biggest point people make about Garoppolo is that he hasn’t yet given a big enough sample size to be accurately judged. He’s only started seven games in his career. That point is well understood, but when you join a 1-10 team and then that team suddenly goes 5-0 over its next five games, that speaks wonders. Inexperienced or not, Garoppolo is the real deal and he makes the 49ers a legitimate threat in the NFC West.
Drafted in 2014, Garoppolo spent his first three seasons in the league backing up Tom Brady and learning under Bill Belichick. During Brady’s 2016 Deflategate suspension, Garoppolo started two games for the Patriots went 2-0. Combine that with last year’s starts in San Francisco and Jimmy G. is undefeated in the NFL.
Next. 5 AFC West storylines to watch in 2018. dark
One thing that definitely can’t be said yet, because it’s too early, is that Garoppolo is going to be next Brady or the next Aaron Rodgers. He has all the tools to become that kind of player, but only time will tell on that subject. However, it is not too early to say that the 49ers are back in the hunt.
With the 26-year-old Garoppolo leading the way, look for San Francisco to be a sleeper team in the NFC.