If only for one day, Jimmy Garoppolo was a better quarterback than Tom Brady.
That is, if stats mean everything.
Garoppolo made his start with the San Francisco 49ers against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and he led his team to a 15-14 road victory. Brady, meanwhile, helped his New England Patriots beat the Bills 23-3 at New Era Field in Buffalo.
Comparing two NFL games obviously isn’t apples to apples, but these numbers nevertheless are interesting:
Garoppolo: 293 yards, INT, win.
Brady: 258 yards, INT, win.#AdvantageJimmyGrapes
— Adam Jones (@JonesWEEI) December 3, 2017
For the record: Garoppolo and Brady both had QB ratings of 82.4.
Jimmy-G had to work a bit harder for his win than Brady did, however, as the former Patriots QB led the Niners on a 92-yard drive to set up Robbie Gould’s game-winning fifth field goal of the game.
Check out the highlights:
And here’s Garoppolo heading to the locker room after earning the victory:
The #49ers win in Jimmy Garoppolo's first start with SF. pic.twitter.com/AogSolBqXZ
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) December 3, 2017
As for Garoppolo’s former team, well, they apparently were pretty happy for the 26-year-old signal-caller.
First thing I heard in the Patriots’ locker room: Players and coaches were excited about Garoppolo’s first win with the 49ers.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) December 3, 2017
We wonder if Brady was leading the cheers?
After Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers in October, head coach Kyle Shanahan suggested he might not even see the field this season, and instead would take time to learn the playbook. But an injury to quarterback C.J. Beathard in Week 12 forced the the Niners to put Garoppolo on the field, and the fourth-year QB is making the most of his opportunity.
