Is Jimmy Garoppolo playing vs. Packers? 49ers QB dealing with thumb, should injuries for playoff game

Jimmy GQ might as well be Jimmy WebMD.

Jimmy Garoppolo is no stranger to injuries. The 49ers QB has missed both major and minor time with a bevy of injuries throughout his career, putting San Francisco behind the 8-ball at times.

This weekend is no different: Garoppolo is dealing with injuries in his throwing arm that may cost him his ability to play. That couldn’t come at a worse time, with the Niners traveling to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers in the NFC divisional round.

Garoppolo’s 2021 season has been marred by nagging injuries once again, and while the QB is getting the nod to start, he’s working through some pretty serious injuries to make it work.

Here’s the latest:

Is Jimmy Garoppolo injured?

The 49ers quarterback suffered a sprained shoulder in San Francisco’s wild-card matchup with the Cowboys. While Garoppolo finished out the game, it put his status for Sunday’s showdown with the Packers in doubt. 

On Jan. 18, Garoppolo said he was feeling good, though he was limited in practice.

It was unclear exactly when Garoppolo hurt his shoulder during the game, but it looks as though he was trying to avoid landing on his injured thumb in the second quarter, jamming up his throwing arm instead.

Garoppolo would say that the injury affected every throw he made, leading to his bad second half vs. Dallas.

The shoulder isn’t the only thing that’s hampered the 49ers quarterback: He entered the game with an injured thumb in his throwing hand. Garoppolo is dealing with both torn ligaments and a bone chip in his thumb, an injury that sidelined him just a single game to close out the regular season. 

In the week leading up to the Dallas showdown, Garoppolo was listed as limited before eventually being a full participant in practice.

Jimmy Garoppolo injury history

Garoppolo has dealt with a number of injuries throughout his career. Of a possible 65 games he could have played since being named starter, Garoppolo has started 40 games.

Here’s the complete rundown of injuries he’s dealt with:

2016: Starting in place of a suspended Tom Brady, Garoppolo injures his shoulder in Week 2. He would miss the next two games and revert back to QB2 when Brady returns in Week 5. 

2018: In Week 3, Garoppolo tears his ACL in his left knee, ending his season. 

2020: In a Week 2 game vs. the Jets, Garoppolo suffers a right, high-ankle sprain. He would miss just two games.

2020: In Week 7, Garoppolo would re-aggravate his ankle injury and would be shut down indefinitely, and would not return for the remainder of the season.

2021: Garoppolo suffers a left calf strain in Week 4, but missing a single game.

2021: In Week 16 vs. the Titans, Garoppolo fractures his thumb. It’s later revealed that Garoppolo has torn tendons in his thumb, as well as a bone chip.

2022: Garoppolo sustains a shoulder sprain to his throwing shoulder in the wild-card matchup vs. the Cowboys.