49ers' Garoppolo will start against hometown Bears originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Rookie Justin Fields has shown that he's one of the best newcomers in the league and one of the greatest selections in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The 11th overall pick had a chance to start against the San Francisco 49ers first round pick, quarterback Trey Lance, in Sunday's game, but it looks like Lance is still on the 49ers' injury report and won't play this weekend.
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Lance suffered a left knee sprain during his first NFL career start in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals and was told he would miss one-to-two weeks, however, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo started in Week 7's Sunday Night Football match-up versus the Indianapolis Colts.
On Monday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan gave Garoppolo the green light to start against his hometown Bears, per NBC Sports' Matt Maiocco. In what was considered his worst game of the season, Garoppolo committed three turnovers and two interceptions in the 30-18 loss to the Colts.
That's not saying much considering Fields and the Bears suffered their worst loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a final score of 38-3. The Bears had zero touchdowns and Fields threw three interceptions.
Head coach Matt Nagy revealed he tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday and will miss this week's practices at Halas Hall until he can submit two negative tests within a 48-hour span. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will take over Nagy's meetings during his absence.
The Bears continue dealing with a COVID outbreak as linebacker Caleb Johnson and offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson were added to the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the game against the Bucs, Tight end Jimmy Graham and outside linebacker Robert Quinn also didn't play after being added to the reserve/COVID-19 list the week before.
With the Bears' continued struggles and Garoppolo's poor performance, this game can go either way.
The Monsters of the Midway will play the 49ers in a Halloween showdown Sunday at Soldier Field.
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