The San Francisco 49ers are not living up to expectations, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready for a quarterback change. According to the latest NFL rumors, Jimmy Garoppolo will remain the starting quarterback for at least one more week. In other news, John Harbaugh talked about adjusting after the Bengals loss, while the Los Angeles Rams are holding out hope that Cam Akers can return in the postseason.
[pickup_prop id=”14145″]
NFL Rumors: Jimmy Garoppolo, John Harbaugh, Cam Akers
Jimmy Garoppolo did not have a good day at the office on Sunday. Playing in adverse conditions, the quarterback completed just 16 of his 27 passes for 181 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the loss. Garoppolo has not played well all season and, with first-round pick Trey Lance returning to practice, some wondered whether Lance could take the starting job.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan put those Jimmy Garoppolo rumors to bed, at least in the short term. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Shanahan said that the 49ers “didn’t go into the game thinking Jimmy Garoppolo was one game away from losing his job.”
COHN: Will you stick with Jimmy Garoppolo as your starting QB next week?
SHANAHAN: I would guess so. pic.twitter.com/DYC7B9qKPW
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 25, 2021
Garoppolo will be San Francisco’s starter for the time being, but it’s only a matter of time before Lance takes over. At 2-4 in a competitive NFC, the 49ers are basically out of the playoff picture. At some point, San Francisco will need to see what Lance can do when given full control of the offense.
For what it’s worth, Lance’s injury could have something to do with this decision. The rookie suffered a knee injury in Week 5 and is only now returning to practice. Lance is set to practice on Wednesday, but Shanahan said that “he’ll probably be limited” when he does return to the field. If Garoppolo struggles again, don’t be surprised if Lance takes over in November.
John Harbaugh Addresses Blowout Loss
The Baltimore Ravens are in an interesting state right now. After blowing out the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6, the Ravens suffered a blowout loss of their own at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals. Controlling emotions after a two-week swing like this isn’t easy, but head coach John Harbaugh is up for the task.
“We played our worst game of the season, worst game in a long time,” Harbaugh said. “Bengals played very well, they were very prepared and played a great game. It’s week to week. A week ago, we’re being crowned the best ever and we’re sitting there saying ‘Who, who, it’s one week.’ Now you wanna say ‘What’s wrong with the run game, what’s wrong with the pass game, you guys are terrible.’ We’re like ‘Whoa, whoa, it’s one week.’ It’s the same message from us.”
John Harbaugh with some comforting words heading into the bye 😂 pic.twitter.com/YnkTQM7iiR
— Ronald Toothe (@_QuoththeRavens) October 25, 2021
Clearly, Harbaugh doesn’t want his team to overreact to massive victories or losses. This level-headed spirit will need to last if they want to win the division, as the Ravens currently find themselves trailing the Bengals for the division lead.
Cam Akers Might Return For Postseason
Just about everybody in the NFL community expected big things from Cam Akers in 2021. After a promising rookie season, the former second-round pick was set to be the starting running back in one of the best offenses in football. However, Akers suffered an Achilles injury in July, prematurely ending his season.
Achilles injuries are historically a kiss of death for running backs, but Akers appears to be the exception to the rule. Speaking to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, head coach Sean McVay said that “if we [the Rams] are able to make the playoffs…the expectation is that Cam would be available to play.” The coach added that Akers is already running at 80% and is doing so effortlessly.
If Akers can return, McVay believes that putting him and fellow running back Darrell Henderson on the field at the same time could lead to some intriguing personnel packages. For what it’s worth, Henderson deserves a lot of credit for carrying the load in Akers’ absence. Playing in six games, the running back has recorded 417 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 96 carries (4.3 YPA) to go along with 15 receptions for 138 yards and an additional touchdown.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
