The most popular quarterback for any struggling team is the one who isn't playing. Or plays behind Alex Smith. Or is on a different team's bench but chatting with your coach and owner before the game. Or playing the final 67 seconds of a blowout loss.
Jimmy Garoppolo's 49ers debut arrived after pocket punching bag C.J. Beathard was finally knocked out late in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. Garoppolo threw two passes: a fourth-down conversion and a hurry-up touchdown as time expired. His quarterback rating this year is now 143.7, and because he is perfect on fourth downs, in the red zone and against the Seahawks, advanced metrics rank him as the most efficient passer in the history of humankind.