Facing a tumultuous offseason that could include thumb surgery and his relocation to a new team, Jimmy Garoppolo still has a chance to keep his 49ers' tenure and this season alive.
It's a 50-50 chance, technically.
Garoppolo, limited by a sprained thumb in his return to practice this week, is officially questionable for Sunday's visit to the Los Angeles Rams.
By definition, that means it's "uncertain" Garoppolo will play, which is a better sign that last week, when he was considered doubtful before sitting out the 49ers' win against Atlanta, in which rookie Trey Lance replaced him and led a second-half comeback.
"I know what we're doing. I just don't feel like telling you right now," coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday in a video call with reporters.
"I think you guys understand why you don't announce it," Shanahan said, in the name of gamesmanship. "Regardless, especially with Trey playing last week, we've got two guys here with experience, that our team feels good with and we'll see how it plays out."
Garoppolo's ability to throw with a sprained right thumb — involving a torn ligament and a bone chip — was tested with him throwing on the practice field four straight days.
"I'm going to do everything I can to be out there with the guys," Garoppolo said Wednesday. "It's a big one and so whatever I can do to be out there (practicing), I'm going to be out there. But, at the same time you've got to be smart and think about what's going to be best for the team to win."
The 49ers (9-7) can keep their season alive and land a wild-card playoff berth by either beating the favored Rams (12-4), or by the New Orleans Saints (8-8) losing at the Atlanta Falcons (7-9). Ties in either game put the 49ers into the playoffs.
Lance's evaluation of Garoppolo: "I know how tough Jimmy is. I know it hurts when he throws and things like that. I know he'll do everything he can to play on Sunday. And I know he's a tough, freakin' dude. Whatever he can do, he will."
After taking all first-team reps last week, Lance said splitting action with Garoppolo provided a "unique" opportunity to talk them through with him as they unfolded. "Kyle did a great job personally able to prepare and still get some reps, not knowing obviously what's going to happen with Jimmy on Sunday," Lance said.
"Trey was better this week than last week," Shanahan said. "Everything with Jimmy was about what he was comfortable with, what he could push through and figure all parts of the game to try your best to simulate."
Garoppolo is 5-0 all-time against the Rams, but that stretches back to the 2017 season finale. His 2018 knee injury kept out the first two games of their current five-game win streak over the Rams.
If Lance gets the call for an encore start, he said his No. 1 priority is ball security; he has thrown a first-half interception in each of his starts. "They have a lot of guys that can take over and change the game," Lance added. "The biggest thing for us is taking care of the ball."
Count former 49ers quarterback Steve Young among those intrigued to see more after Lance's victorious first home start.
"I thought that the first half scared me because it was just too much," Young said on KNBR 680-AM. "The idea that 'I can kind of get ahead of it.' And then, in the second half, he settles in and actually does a lot of cool stuff. ... That's the kind of process, the cycle that we can all live with."
