The question that’s been looming over the 49ers this week seems to have finally been answered. While head coach Kyle Shanahan declined to announce who his starting quarterback for Sunday’s regular-season finale would be, his decision is now clear, and it seemed to be trending that way throughout the course of the week.
After describing the pain in his thumb as feeling like the webbing was tearing and “fuck– it hurts” on Wednesday, Jimmy Garoppolo is in line to be the 49ers’ starting quarterback. The team declined to activate or promote practice squad quarterback Nate Sudfeld for Sunday’s game, with NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco reporting that Garoppolo is the expected starter.
If Garoppolo’s status was in question, Sudfeld would almost certainly be made active. So, Garoppolo is expected to get his shot to put the 49ers in the playoffs against the Rams, a team San Francisco has beaten five-straight times.
And he will get that opportunity with a defense bolstered in the secondary. The 49ers made the following moves on Saturday, activating a host of players. The moves are listed below.
The following players have been activated off the Reserve/COVID-19 List:
Pos. Number Name
CB 27 Dontae Johnson
DB 1 Jimmie Ward
CB 24 K’Waun Williams
The following player has been activated from the Injured Reserve List:
Pos. Number Name
CB 4 Emmanuel Moseley
The following players have been activated from the team’s practice squad (standard elevations):
Pos. Number Name
CB 43 Darqueze Dennard
LB 53 Mark Nzeocha
The following player has been activated from the team’s practice squad (COVID-19 replacement):
Pos. Number Name
LB 59 Curtis Robinson
Shanahan said on KNBR on Thursday that he expected Emmanuel Moseley to be good to go after missing the past four games on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain.
The return of Moseley, along with slot corner K’Waun Williams and safety Jimmie Ward — who excels against the Rams and picked off Matthew Stafford twice the last time the two teams met — are massively encouraging signs for the defense. As a reminder, a 49ers win or New Orleans Saints will will push San Francisco into the playoffs.