San Francisco 49ers "Holding Out Hope" QB Garoppolo Can Return for Playoffs

The San Francisco 49ers believe they might have their veteran passer back in the fold for the playoffs. Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reports quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will shed his walking boot this week, and the 49ers will test his broken foot to determine his suitability for the postseason.

49ers QB Brock Purdy is fully healthy after partially tearing his oblique on TNF in Week 15 and Jimmy Garoppolo's walking boot is expected to be removed next week.@JayGlazer has the latest ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/wZOuTcsOdX
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 24, 2022

Garoppolo has been unavailable since breaking his foot in the 49ers' Week 13 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. Rookie Brock Purdy has played well in his stead, netting 580 passing yards with six touchdowns and one interception in three straight wins for the 49ers.

As well as Purdy has played, Garoppolo should still provide an upgrade when he returns to action. He has bested Purdy in net yards per passing attempt (7.17 to 6.66), passer rating (103.0 to 100.6), and interception rate (1.3% to 2.2%) this season. When available, Garoppolo has been one of the league's most efficient passers this season, and his extensive playoff experience (4-2 in the postseason) should serve a loaded 49ers team well.

Garoppolo initially joined the 49ers via trade with the New England Patriots in 2017. Though injuries have caused him to miss time in all but one of his seasons, he has been an effective, complementary passer when available; he has won 38 of his 55 starts with the 49ers while averaging 238.6 passing yards per game.