There’s probably not a 3-10 team in the league feeling better about life than the 49ers.
And that’s easy to attribute to one guy in particular.
With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo taking over two games ago and leading them to their first back-to-back road wins since 2014, the 49ers are feeling a new feeling — swagger.
“You can feel it in our building,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Guys are gaining that confidence.”
The 49ers made the deal hoping for just such a feeling, and it’s alarming how quickly it’s happened. Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin said Garoppolo has “one hundred percent” elevated the play of the team around him.
“Jimmy is a great guy,” Goodwin said. “He’s a natural leader. He doesn’t struggle at any point in the game. When you see that in a position that he’s in, it gives you extreme confidence. When you look at him in the third quarter or in the second quarter and you’re down by one, you’re up by one, you feel that sense of hope.”
For team’s that aren’t in the playoff mix, that’s the best thing they can sell this time of year. And suddenly, the 49ers have plenty of it.
