Are the 49ers still contenders without Jimmy Garoppolo? | You Pod To Win The Game

Yahoo Sports Senior NFL Writer Charles Robinson and NFL Writer Frank Schwab discuss the injury to San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo in the team’s win over the Miami Dolphins, and debate if the 49ers can still compete for a Super Bowl this season with Brock Purdy or Josh Johnson under center.

Video Transcript

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CHARLES ROBINSON: All right, welcome to "You Pod To Win The Game," presented by the all new Honda CRV hybrid. I am Charles Robinson here with Frank Schwab. And, Frank, stretch run injuries happen, drastically changes the playoff outlook. The San Francisco 49ers went out tonight and they signed Josh Johnson. They had to do that because Jimmy Garoppolo breaks an ankle.

The San Francisco 49ers and Kyle Shanahan beat Miami and Mike McDaniel 33 to 17 but at an unbelievable cost of their starting quarterback. Do you think this remixes now how we look at the top of the NFC Super Bowl contenders? Or is San Francisco's defense and skill position players so good, and Jimmy Garoppolo maybe meh enough as a quarterback, that they don't fall off as one of the top two or three teams in the NFC?

FRANK SCHWAB: It's hard. It's hard for me to buy into Mr. Irrelevant this year taking this team to a Super Bowl, which was clearly in the realm of possibilities with Jimmy Garoppolo.

CHARLES ROBINSON: Sure.

FRANK SCHWAB: I mean, they looked at many times like a Super Bowl team. It's just hard for me to believe Brock Purdy is that guy. And there's nobody out there who's going to help. I mean, the fact that they went out and got Josh Johnson is like--

CHARLES ROBINSON: It's Josh, right? Don't you think you go get Josh? Is there not a chance-- the reason why you go and get Josh Johnson is because he can do different things. He can run the football, he can throw the football, and that fits in pretty well with the number of players they can already flex to do different things for San Francisco.

FRANK SCHWAB: Look, I like him. I like Josh. I think he's had a great story. He's had a great career. But Josh Johnson's not moving the needle. I just can't see it. But, I mean, Miami just got crushed in this game. Their offense couldn't move the ball which, OK, whatever. I mean, they were playing without Terron Armstead. They couldn't block, whatever.

But the 49ers were moving the ball. They looked pretty good. And to your point, can Josh Johnson or Brock Purdy be the guy that I'm just going to get the ball to Deebo Samuel, Aiyuk, Kittle? Maybe. They did it today I don't know if Miami was just surprised or let down or whatever.

But it's hard. It's very hard for me to sit here and tell you San Francisco is still a Super Bowl contender with whoever they're going to start at quarterback now. It's just one of those blows that-- maybe they can Trent Green, Kurt Warner this thing, but I just don't see that happening. It's just a bridge too far for me there.

CHARLES ROBINSON: All I know is I think a lot of people are going to wake up today, they're going to listen to this, they're going to do some box score scouting, or they watched games, and they're going to go, holy [BLEEP], the Eagles and the Cowboys got to feel really good right now.

FRANK SCHWAB: Yep. Yep.

CHARLES ROBINSON: They have to be sitting there going, the monster in the room, the absolute gargantuan team that you had to deal with was this 49ers defense that was just like a freight train coming on. And Deebo is healthy again and Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. And it's just like, oh, my God, they got everything, and they're picking up guys as they go.

And then this happens. It was-- not to overstate what Jimmy G is worth there, but let's be honest. If you and I had ranked the unloseable players, like who can they absolutely not afford to lose that would dramatically impact their playoff odds-- I know people don't think a lot of the guy, but he had to be top three on every list, if not number one.

FRANK SCHWAB: Right, right, right. Because this is the second quarterback. It's not just one. It's two.

CHARLES ROBINSON: Right. And experienced. It's not just any second quarterback.

FRANK SCHWAB: Right. And they've won with-- they're confident. They've won with him before. They've gone to a Super Bowl. They've gone to an NFC Championship game. They know they could do that, whereas these guys now, I just don't know. I will say this about 49ers. Like, no matter what, I still think they can hold off Seattle for the division. Seattle's really had its problems lately. And then if you get into the playoffs, nobody's going to want to play the 49ers because this defense is nasty. It is-- you could lose a game 10 to 9.

CHARLES ROBINSON: Right.

FRANK SCHWAB: It's one of those deals. So I don't think the 49ers are drawing dead from they're not going to win another game, they're not going to go to the playoffs, or they can't win in the playoffs. They could. They could make some noise. It's just, yeah, they look like this could be a Super Bowl team, and I just don't think that's there for them anymore.