After a heartbreaking 30-28 loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Week 3, the debate surrounding who the 49ers should start at quarterback has heated up once again.
Through three weeks, starter Jimmy Garoppolo's performance hasn't been very impressive. When the offense couldn't score from the goal line, coach Kyle Shanahan brought in Trey Lance, who immediately got the job done without breaking a sweat.
Garoppolo had two costly turnovers in the game and was rather inconsistent all night. That begs the question, when do the 49ers make the switch to Lance?
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NBC Sports' Peter King joined 95.7 The Game's "Damon, Ratto & Kolsky" to discuss what he believes the 49ers need from the quarterback position right now.
“The other day when I was watching the game, I just said, ‘They need to have a quarterback who’s going to challenge a secondary more,' " King said. "It’s hard to tell right now if Kyle Shanahan (just) doesn’t want to call plays that call for the quarterback to challenge outside the numbers.
"When I'm watching the game, that bothers me. Garoppolo had a really really good drive at the end of the game. It’s clear that Jimmy Garoppolo is not afraid, he’s been battle-tested and all that. The question is, is his arm good enough to trust him consistently on throws like that. The way Kyle Shanahan called the game the other day, I would say no."
Has there been enough film on Garoppolo through three weeks to say that the 49ers should bench him? King believes San Francisco needs to wait just a little bit longer.
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"One of the things that we just simply don’t know yet because we haven’t seen enough is that we need to see two or three games more before we make any long-term judgments on the offense and on Garoppolo because I think you’re going to be able to tell.”
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The 49ers likely are having consistent conversations about the quarterback position each and every week. At what point do those conversations get more serious?
"At some point, you have to determine whether your quarterback is holding you back, and I think that is going to happen here in the next two or three weeks," King said. "I think Jimmy Garoppolo -- and in no way am I saying (he’s playing for his job) because I don’t necessarily believe that -- but I do think that if Kyle Shanahan has to make a change, I don’t think he’s going to be afraid to do so.”
Garoppolo hasn't been terrible, but he hasn't been playing like a quarterback who came into training camp with an extra-large chip on his shoulder, ready to prove his doubters wrong. Garoppolo's job is probably safe for another week or two, but if the 49ers continue to struggle on offense, a change might come sooner than later.