Jimmy Garoppolo injury update: 49ers QB suffers thumb injury, considered questionable for Texans game

Jimmy Garoppolo injured his right thumb during the 49ers’ Thursday night game vs. the Titans, leaving his status for San Francisco’s Week 17 contest (and beyond) uncertain.

Garoppolo was sacked during the second quarter of the 20-17 loss to the Titans, and the 49ers believed that he had suffered a right thumb sprain. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday that it’s “a more significant injury.”

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NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided additional reporting on the injury on Monday night, revealing that Garoppolo had sufered a chipped bone and torn ligament in his thumb. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said the team will re-evaluate Garoppolo on Wednesday to see if he will be able to play against the Texans on Sunday.

Based on his statistics against the Titans, Garoppolo’s thumb injury didn’t appear to impact his performance that much, though it’s unclear how much the injury could affect his ability to throw the ball moving forward.

If Garoppolo does sit out against the Texans, 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance will make just his second start the season. Lance has completed 25 of 48 passes for 354 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in five games.

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Garoppolo is now the third starting quarterback this season to deal with a severe finger injury. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson missed four games because of a mallet finger injury, marking the first time in his Seattle career that he didn’t start a game. Then, Saints backup quarterback Taysom Hill dealt with the same injury, causing him to miss Weeks 11 and 12.

Sunday’s game against the Texans is an important one for the 49ers, as they are currently holding onto a wild-card spot in the NFC playoff picture with an 8-7 record.