Troy Aikman shared his thoughts on Jimmy Garoppolo while broadcasting “Monday Night Football” between the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals in Week 11.
Aikman gave a positive review of the Niners quarterback entering the game.
“I’ve liked him for a long time,” Aikman said of Garoppolo. “And I think when you look at this season, 2022, for the short term, I think he’s the right guy to be quarterbacking this team. He’s won a lot of games for the 49ers, and I think he’s playing really good football — especially on third down.”
Garoppolo has the fourth-best passer rating in the NFL this season on third down plays.
Best passer rating in 3rd down this season:
Tua Tagovailoa 149.8
Joe Burrow 128.2
Patrick Mahomes 120.5#49ers Jimmy Garoppolo 120.4— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) November 22, 2022
He’s excelled on third downs for several years.
Jimmy Garoppolo's excellence on 3rd down is nothing new. EPA/drop back on 3rd downs since 2017…
1. Patrick Mahomes
2. Jimmy Garoppolo
3. Andrew Luck
4. Justin Herbert
5. Joe Burrow— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) November 14, 2022
Aikman also feels that Trey Lance has a lot of growing left to do. Many people felt the 49ers were a Super Bowl contender with Garoppolo, but not quite as good with Lance.
Lance was knocked out for the season after suffering an injury in Week 1, which allowed Garoppolo to regain the starting job.
The Niners entered the Week 11 game against Arizona 5-3 under Garoppolo this season.
