While the San Francisco 49ers hoped that they will have Jimmy Garoppolo under center for the Week 3 game against New York Giants, it appears that won’t be the case. According to the 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan, the team expects backup Nick Mullens to get his first start of the season as Garopollo is still struggling with an ankle injury.
Garoppolo was hurt early on during the 31-13 win over NY Jets last week but kept playing to wrap up the first half. He remained on the bench for the second period, and later tests showed that the injury was a bit more serious than the team initially believed.
“I’ll be surprised if Jimmy gets back later in the week,” said Shanahan. “I know he’s still pulling to do it.”
Mullens stepped in for Garoppolo in the second half, completing eight passes for 71 yards. He also threw an interception.
“But Nick is ready to go,” Shanahan added. “Nick has got a lot of playing time with us, and 2018 prepared him for moments like this. He always does a good job in practice, and [we’re] excited to see him get his opportunity.”
Shanahan was referring to the 2018 NFL season when Garoppolo tore his ACL, and Nick Mullens stepped in to start the final eight games of the season. 49ers went 3-5 with Mullens under center, while the Southern Miss product completed 64.2 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,277 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
