The 49ers have been transparent with their short- and long-term plans at quarterback.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday he believes that communication with Jimmy Garoppolo regarding his future has enabled everyone to simply focus on this season.
Garoppolo has shown a lot this season. He played the past three games with a torn ligament in his right thumb. Nothing comes easy for Garoppolo, but he has played well enough for the 49ers to survive three must-win games in a row.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE And, now, the 49ers face the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The organization is one victory away from its second Super Bowl in three seasons.
Garoppolo and the 49ers will deal with the future when this season is over.
But we here in the Overreactions Dept. are not bound by such restrictions ...
Overreaction? No.
You are exactly right. And that’s not to say Trey Lance is going to be as great as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. But, yes, Shanahan had a vision for having that kind of playmaking ability from the 49ers’ quarterback position.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
For all the winning and all the great Garoppolo has brought to the 49ers, it’s also fair to acknowledge his limitations. He gives defenses too many opportunities to collect takeaways without providing the benefits of being able to reach every corner of the field with his arm.
He also does not have the mobility to make positives out of second-reaction plays — whether that means taking off running or throwing over the top in a scramble drill.
The Bills use Allen in some key situations as a runner. On Sunday, he gained 68 yards on 11 rushing attempts. Some of those were designed quarterback power runs. Did that look familiar? In Lance’s two starts, those kinds of plays were featured parts of the 49ers’ game plan.
Lance’s skillset is impressive. And with a quarterback who is, potentially, that explosive, it gives the rest of the roster a greater margin for error to remain competitive year-in and year-out.
Overreaction? Yes.
First off, the NFC was wide open this season with Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, and it will be wide open next season regardless of whether Rodgers and Brady are back (or where the Chico kid is playing).
Secondly, as noted above, the 49ers have done a lot of winning with Garoppolo as the starting quarterback. But there were reasons, in addition to his injury history, that Shanahan and general manager John Lynch opted to invest a great deal of draft capital to acquire their quarterback of the future.
Lance did not give the 49ers the best chance of winning this season. That was obvious. But the 49ers simply cannot keep the No. 3 overall pick on the sideline for another season.
The 49ers need the cap savings from Garoppolo’s contract to keep their roster intact, including locking in Deebo Samuel to a lucrative, long-term deal. And this offseason is the 49ers’ last chance to get something in return to Garoppolo in a trade.
There will be a market for Garoppolo, and the 49ers can pursue recovering some of the future draft capital they sent to the Miami Dolphins in order to move up to No. 3 to select Lance.
Overreaction? No.
The key, of course, is the 49ers’ running game. If the 49ers can control the game on the ground with Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel, they should be all right.
The Rams will do all they can to prevent the 49ers from controlling the game with their diverse running attack. So that should open the door for some play-action possibilities down the field to Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle.
The last thing the 49ers want to do is get into third-and-long situations, in which the Rams can unleash Aaron Donald, Von Miller and Leonard Floyd to rush the passer.
Overreaction? No.
The playoffs are different. But even if this were the regular season, it would be different, too.
Why? Because this is a new game and anything can happen.
The Rams geared up for games such as these. They did not bring in Matthew Stafford, Odell Beckham and Miller just to reach the NFC Championship Game. They acquired those players with the sole purpose of winning the Super Bowl this season.
Overreaction? Yes, but ...
I must say, there was a point toward the end and immediately following that game when I thought that the Kansas City-Buffalo matchup was like watching the varsity game when all the other divisional playoff games were the JV.
Those offenses were incredible. But we are all familiar with Newton's third law, right? For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
My point is that the offenses were incredible, but at the same time we can acknowledge that, perhaps, the defenses in those critical times were atrocious, too.
Kansas City would likely be favored if it advances to the Super Bowl. But that does not mean the trophy will already be engraved.
Overreaction? TBA.
That victory, a fourth consecutive against a Rodgers-led Packers team, was epic.
Jordan Willis and Talanoa Hufanga rescued the 49ers when things looked bleak.
But with an organization that has won five Super Bowls, the only way this game is remembered in legendary terms is if the 49ers win the next two games and pick up their sixth Lombardi Trophy.
Overreaction? No.
Cornerback Dontae Johnson is the player the 49ers are comfortable placing in difficult situations. He was the nickel back in Week 18 against the Rams when K’Waun Williams was unavailable.
And they turned to Johnson at left cornerback when Ambry Thomas could not play against the Packers due to a knee injury.
RELATED: Just win: Jimmy G's playoff success is hard to decipher
Johnson is a pro. Johnson is reliable. He even had an underrated role on Jimmie Ward’s field-goal block at the end of the first half. Johnson got to the edge off the right side, opening a path for Ward to come through.
According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson allowed just 30 yards in coverage Saturday night. He came through when he was needed.
Overreaction? No … and yes.
The 49ers are healthier, but they do not have a better chance to win because — well, we already know that they won that Week 18 game. (But we know what you’re saying.)
Left tackle Trent Williams was not active for the regular-season finale due to an elbow injury. Colton McKivitz suited up for the first time all season and he started at left tackle.
However, this time, Williams has an ankle injury, which places his availability in question.
Nickel back K’Waun Williams did not play in that game because he did not feel properly prepared after not practicing that week while on the COVID-19 list. Johnson filled in for him.
Also, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was not available for that game. Now, he is getting some limited action on defense, while Dre Greenlaw is settling in alongside Fred Warner.
Samuel and Kittle are good to go. Both teams are near full strength. It sets up to be a good one.