Garoppolo’s return feels just like ‘Niners football’

By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers know painfully well from first-hand experience how an injury to the starting quarterback can derail an entire season. The Niners never recovered from early season injuries that sidelined Jimmy Garoppolo in 2018 and 2020. The situation is far different this time around after Trey Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. Instead of going to an unproven backup with no history of success, the 49ers are in the same spot they were when they ended last season with a loss in the NFC title game. Garoppolo is back as the starting quarterback, leading fullback Kyle Juszczyk to say it “felt like Niners football.”