Jimmy Garoppolo Hype Doesn’t Sway Vegas on 49ers Playoff Hopes

It’s amazing how many people have bought into Jimmy Garoppolo. The San Francisco 49ers starter already made an appearance on the NFL Top 100 of 2018.

Such things aren’t hard to see why. The moment he stepped in last season, the team went on a five-game winning streak. He still, technically, hasn’t lost a start in his NFL career. He went 2-0 with the New England Patriots during the Tom Brady suspension in 2016. Combine that with his pretty passing technique and a million-dollar smile, it’s not surprising so many people have been swayed into thinking his bust for Canton is already under construction.

At the same time, isn’t it a little early to be diving in like this? Hot starts for young quarterbacks aren’t uncommon. Defenses haven’t seen much of them before. They haven’t had time to study and adjust. Besides that, one could argue the winning San Francisco did last year wasn’t all him. Contrary to popular myth. Garoppolo threw seven touchdowns to five interceptions during that five-game win streak.

He led two 4th quarter comebacks but both were decided by field goals from Robbie Gould. He still has a lot of proving to do. It seems Las Vegas agrees.

Vegas odds don’t reflect well on the Jimmy Garoppolo media machine

ESPN released the updated betting odds from Las Vegas for the 2018 season. In it they cover team’s chances of winning their division, winning their conference and of course winning the Super Bowl along with their over/under win total. Though they are expected to be better this year, the line set is somewhat low, being only 8.5 wins.

"“After starting 1-10 in 2017, Jimmy Garoppolo led the 49ers to five consecutive wins to avoid a fourth straight season of the team going under its win total. Expectations have now been elevated for San Francisco, which needs to win nine games in order to hit its over in 2018. Keep in mind, this is a franchise that has been favored five times in 48 games since Jim Harbaugh left for Michigan.”"

Remember the 49ers finished 6-10 with a five-game win streak. After this offseason of moves and the Garoppolo hype, one would think they’d be projected to win at least 9-10 games right? Seems Vegas isn’t ready to make that commitment just yet. They see somewhere around a two-game improvement. Not the biggest vote of confidence given San Francisco is playing in a somewhat weakened division.

It seems they view this year as a proving ground. Either Garoppolo is the real deal or he’s exposed as a fraud.