The New England Patriots and Bill Belichick don’t often wind up on the short end of any deals they make. But after seeing Jimmy Garoppolo lead the seemingly hapless 49ers (4-10) to three straight wins, the only question is why other teams didn’t offer more for the 26-year-old quarterback?

Garoppolo, who was traded by the Patriots to San Francisco in October for a measly second-round draft pick, is the first quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 to win his first five career starts. Garoppolo won two games filing in for suspended Patriots quarterback Tom Brady last season.

Besides Garoppolo and Roethlisberger, the feat has been accomplished by only seven other quarterbacks since the NFL merger in 1970.

One of the keys for Garoppolo is his efficiency, averaging 8.74 yards per attempt with a 103.0 rating. Only Kurt Warner (9.98, 131.4), who inherited the cast of skill players that earned the St. Louis Rams the nickname of “The Greatest Show on Turf,” has been better.

In San Francisco, Garoppolo is working with unknown or castoff wide receivers and tight ends. He turned Marquise Goodwin, a speedy wideout who the Bills let walk last winter, into a star (24 catches for 319 yards in three games). The only knock against Garoppolo is that the defenses he’s faced this season (Bears, Texans, Titans) are rated poorly. That changes on Sunday when the top-ranked unit of the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) comes into town.