Jimmy Garoppolo showcased nerves of steel during the 49ers’ dramatic December stretch to close the regular season.



“Now,” the 49ers quarterback said after beating the Seahawks to the win the NFC West, “the real tournament starts.”



We’ve learned plenty about Garoppolo throughout the course of this season. No longer a relatively unknown commodity, Garoppolo has 16 consecutive professional starts under his belt for the first time. He threw for nearly 4,000 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt, the highest average in the NFL of any quarterback who started 16 games, leading the 49ers to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.



Now a critical new test awaits.



How will Garoppolo handle the NFL playoffs? This is where legacies are made or broken, especially for starting quarterbacks. Over three playoff runs, Garoppolo won two Super Bowl rings while working under Tom Brady. But now it’s his show. What can we expect?



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