MIAMI, Fla. -- In our ultra-polarized world, it has become exponentially more difficult to change people's opinions even when evidence against their staunch belief continues to mount.

Jimmy Garoppolo might not be Exhibit A of this, but the 49ers quarterback certainly is near the top of the list.

Coming into the season, many wondered how much of Garoppolo's early-career success was legitimate and what was fool's gold.

The 49ers opened the season 8-0, but the praise went to the defense and head coach Kyle Shanahan with Garoppolo being deemed the weak link on a team with championship aspirations.

Garoppolo brought the 49ers back from a 17-0 hole against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11, but the doubts only grew louder.

He led a rout of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Week 12, and won a shootout against Drew Brees and the Saints in New Orleans. And still, the warring factions withdrew further into the trenches they had dug for themselves.

Now, with the 49ers preparing to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, Garoppolo's teammates -- who have been punching back at his detractors all season -- are fine if everyone continues to doubt their leader ahead of the title bout.

"He's just a big-time player," Richard Sherman said Thursday. "He's a big-time playmaker and I love that nobody understands that. Obviously, it doesn't matter how well he plays on the football field because he's played well and people are like, 'Oh my god, we haven't seen enough.' He got his team to the Super Bowl, it's like, 'Hey, we haven't seen enough.'

"So I mean we are appreciative of the underrated aspect of his game because it allows people to say, 'Oh man, we want Jimmy to win it.' He's won us a ton of games this year."

Garoppolo hears his critics. The loudest voices who question his ability to lead the Niners on the biggest stage. Those who flood social media with doubts about whether or not he can rise to the occasion under the brightest lights when he's only ever held a clipboard before on Super Bowl Sunday.

But he uses it as silent fuel.

The questions and doubts have been deafening during the leadup to the South Beach Showdown. Garoppolo threw a ghastly interception in the 49ers' divisional-round win over the Minnesota Vikings, which caused Shanahan to take the keys to the offense like an overprotective father whose kid dinged his car in the Whole Foods parking lot.

The 49ers rolled over the Vikings and then ran it down the Green Bay Packers' throats in the NFC Championship Game, needing Garoppolo to only throw eight passes in the win.

No matter the stats, Garoppolo's teammates credit him as the reason they are on the precipice of glory. The message is simple ahead of Sunday: Just keep doubting.

"I mean, all Jimmy has done is prove people wrong since he got traded here," tight end George Kittle said. "I think he's 25-5 now. I think he has the best third-down completion rate in the NFL, the best stats in the fourth quarter, but yeah people can keep doubting him. It's whatever. We won 15 games this year and I'd say strictly because of him.

"People give a hard time because we had 17 attempts in the last two games or something like that and he's the guy that's calling the plays. Jimmy shows when we need him to show up. When we're going to run the ball 45 times a game, he's all for it. He loves when we run the ball. So people can doubt him.

"He's a great football player, a great leader and he's just going to keep winning."

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Garoppolo has a chance to eliminate all the noise Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium against the Chiefs. Delivering the Lombardi Trophy to the 49ers would send a gag order to all of his critics, a moment of satisfaction he no doubt has had in his mind.

That would feel great ... baby.

Programming note: NBC Sports Bay Area feeds your hunger for 49ers Super Bowl coverage with special editions of “49ers Central” all week (9:30 p.m. Friday, and 3 p.m. Saturday).



Also tune in at 1 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday for a two-hour special of "49ers Pregame Live" with Laura Britt, Donte Whitner, Jeff Garcia, Ian Williams, Kelli Johnson, Greg Papa and Grant Liffmann. That same crew will have all the postgame reaction on "49ers Postgame Live," starting immediately after the game.