We are just over 48 hours away from the start of Week 13, and probably just over 24 hours away from learning who the San Francisco 49ers will start at quarterback against the Chicago Bears. C.J. Beathard did not suffer a serious leg injury, and head coach Kyle Shanahan said he will announce his QB decision on Wednesday.
In the meantime, the 49ers head into the week at 1-10, facing a bad Bears team. The Bears defense had been showing signs of life under Vic Fangio, but they were crushed this past weekend against the high-flying Philadelphia Eagles.
And so, with a look at Week 13 NFL power rankings around the media, we get to prepare for a matchup of awful football teams. Both teams are hanging around the bottom, and it is no surprise the 49ers are sitting at 31 with regularity. If they beat the Bears, they might climb a couple spots, but if they lose to Chicago, I suspect we’ll see them at No. 31 across the board.
And with that, here is a look at Week 13 NFL power rankings from around the media.
Jimmy Garoppolo threw a touchdown pass! The 49ers should probably continue to play him.
It's no surprise the 49ers have punted a lot this season (5.6 times per game), but their punt coverage has been phenomenal. They're allowing 2.54 yards per punt return, which is not only best in the NFL this season, it's the best in the NFL since the 2008 Falcons (2.45).
Well, if the 49ers don’t play Jimmy Garoppolo now then it’ll get really weird. Kyle Shanahan said last week that C.J. Beathard deserved another start after playing well against the Giants. Beathard didn’t play well Sunday. Garoppolo threw two passes in the final minute and made more happen than Beathard did in 59 minutes. If the 49ers rush Beathard back from what was termed a bruised lower leg to start this week, then that will add to the speculation the 49ers have some secret Garoppolo plan (like another trade) in mind.
Last Week’s Rank: 31
Points in MMQB Power Poll: 40
Highest-Place Vote: 29th (2)
Lowest-Place Vote: 31st (7)
Last Week’s Result: Loss vs. Seattle, 24-13
Week 13 Opponent: at Chicago
The San Francisco 49ers hung in against the Seattle Seahawks early on. However, they aren't talented enough to compete with a team like Seattle. The 49ers are in rebuilding mode, and they're not built to win many games this year.
However, San Francisco is making some plays on offense. Kyle Shanahan is showing fans at least a glimpse of what the future will look like on that side of the ball. I am interested to see if Jimmy Garoppolo starts under center next week and for the remainder of the season so the 49ers can figure out what they have.
The defense plays hard too, even though it lacks talent. That's encouraging for a team that is playing for its future and not for wins and losses. As we saw, though, the 49ers don't have the horsepower to contain a guy like Russell Wilson or the weapons he has in the pass game.
Watching Jimmy Garoppolo take the field for a little over one minute of action was the most exciting part of this 49ers season.
Jimmy Garoppolo made his Niners debut Sunday in a brief appearance after rookie QB C.J. Beathard was hurt. There’s no reason to go back to Beathard now, whether he’s able to play this coming weekend or not. It’s Garoppolo time. The 49ers can only hope that he seizes the starting QB job for good and doesn’t give it up for, oh, about a decade.
There was a Jimmy Garoppolo sighting by the Bay. A few weeks after the trade, the former Patriots quarterback relieved an injured C.J. Beathard. But will the Niners go with Jimmy the rest of the year?
49ers fans finally got to see Jimmy Garoppolo in action, as the 26-year-old signal-caller threw two passes, including a touchdown in San Francisco’s loss to the Seahawks.
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan seem ready to open up their new toy at quarterback, given C.J. Beathard is dealing with a knee injury. The final month should be very interesting as they turn the page early to 2018.
This week: at Bears, a good homecoming for Jimmy G