Faithful Flashbacks #75: Garoppolo Clinches Postseason Birth Through Injury

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and one of the more recent iterations of the team came in at No. 75 in our 'Faithful Flashbacks' countdown.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

May 26, 2026, 1:06 PM Updated: May 27, 2026, 6:21 am

Follow on Google News

Watch: The 2028 NBA Draft Projects Weaker Than Upcoming 2027 Class | 1 min

In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will countdown to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th.

Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

Coming into 2021, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback position felt due for a change.

Jimmy Garoppolo had filled that spot for seasons. His journey with the team began with a jolt out of mediocrity when he was acquired from the Patriots in 2017. San Francisco won its last five starts that season, but after just three games in 2018, it tore its ACL.

Returning in 2019, where he led them to a 13-3 record, the top seed in the NFC, and a Super Bowl appearance while throwing just under 4,000 yards. Unfortunately, injuries again hindered his 2020 campaign. The 49ers front office decided they wanted to swing for a true franchise quarterback and traded a ginormous haul to move up to the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, selecting QB Trey Lance.

That signified the end of Garoppolo’s run in San Francisco, leaving 2021 as what many expected to be his final season as the team’s regular starter. After a poor start to the season, they were fighting for a playoff spot with the Los Angeles Rams down the stretch.

In Week 16, Garoppolo suffered a Grade 3 UCL sprain and missed the following game. Yet, somehow, he toughed it out in their win-or-go-home regular season finale in Southern California. That moment captured enough votes to come up in No. 75 on our “Faithful Flashbacks” countdown of the 80 best moments in the 49ers’ franchise history.

The Rams jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but their defense started to hold up while Garoppolo managed to get their offense rolling. The then-veteran quarterback led a late drive to tie the game and force overtime, where a kick from Robbie Gould eventually won it and secured their trip to the postseason.

They went on to beat the Cowboys in the Wild Card and then stun the Packers before losing to the same Rams team in the NFC Championship game.

Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule

June 9-10, 2026 – Mandatory Minicamps
Late July 2026 – NFL Training Camps open
Thursday, September 10th – vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (Season Opener) – 5:35 pm PT
Sunday, September 20th – vs. Miami Dolphins – 1:25 pm PT
Sunday, September 27th – vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PT
Sunday, October 4th – vs. Denver Broncos – 1:25 pm PT

Thank you for reading SactownSports.com. Follow us on Twitter and Google News, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.