All Jimmy Garoppolo does is win. What makes the 49ers QB so damn good?

Entering the final week of the NFL regular season, the hottest team in the NFL isn’t one going to the playoffs. It’s the San Francisco Jimmy Garoppolos! Before Jimmy G started a 49ers game, the team played 11 games with only a single win. Since Garoppolo became the starter, the Niners have won four in a row. Two of those wins came against quality opponents, the Titans and Jaguars.

The play of Garoppolo is exactly why the 49ers were so eager to trade for him and why the Patriots sent him as far away as possible. The Niners only gave up a second-round draft pick to acquire their franchise quarterback, a steal for the organization. Yes, the Niners will need to pay Jimmy G in the offseason. They have plenty of cap space, and he’s proven he’s worth the money.

The first-year tandem of general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan has handled the aftermath of the Garoppolo trade perfectly.

They’re waiting to sign him to an eventual extension. The common wisdom was the Niners should have signed Jimmy to a contract extension as soon as the trade went through. For a team with limited cap space, this would make sense, as it would save them money. For a team with lots of room, a few million extra won’t hurt too much.

Before Garoppolo started these four games, he’d only started two games since being drafted in 2014. Before the Niners committed to Garoppolo for the long term, it was wise to see him play in their system. Would he be Matt Cassel or Matt Flynn? Both backup quarterbacks behind legends, who had starts that exceeded expectations, only to get signed to a long-term deal and not live up to it. The Niners were smart to wait to see how Jimmy G fit into the scheme before committing that money.

What I loved about the handling of Garoppolo after he was traded to the 49ers was the plan to let him wait and learn the system before playing. With the Niners being so bad, there was no rush to get him on the field. Why play your possible franchise quarterback without a full knowledge of the playbook? Can’t fairly evaluate his potential with a limited playbook. The 49ers waited until he was ready, and he got the starting nod when C.J. Beathard went down with an injury in Week 12.

I hope y’all have seen the NFL Films video of Jimmy G leading the 49ers on their two-minute drive against the Titans to set up a game-winning field goal. Just notice the confidence he exudes. He’s going up to receivers and talking about routes and coverages. He’s firing up his offensive line. Then he goes out and starts rifling the ball around.

It’s hard to put into words how much better you play when you have confidence in your quarterback. You want to give that extra effort. Just think about your job. How much better do you feel when you trust your boss? Or how much better is your work when you have confidence in your boss? It’s the same with NFL quarterbacks.

Shanahan got the most out of RG3 in Washington, Brian Hoyer in Cleveland, and Matt Ryan in Atlanta. He’s a play-calling wizard.

His offense primarily runs outside zone, which leads to excellent opportunities for naked/boots and hard play-action sell. They have multiple formations and personnel groups, which requires the quarterback to be well versed in defensive matchups.

That offense also requires him to be in rhythm and make throws on time, as do most offenses. Jimmy G has a quick release, he’s accurate, and he knows exactly where to throw the ball to allow the wide receiver the opportunity to catch and run. What stands out the most is his ability to use his eyes to move the defense, then throw a dart to where he’s not looking.

This is veteran work, not someone who’s started six games.

There are clips from every game he’s played of Garoppolo manipulating defenses with his eyes, but here’s one from Sunday against the top-rated pass defense in the NFL.

This one is fairly obvious to see. Garoppolo looks right to hold off the safety and also the linebacker over the hash, which allows this backside wide receiver to get into this window.

I love how Garoppolo is so quick with moving his feet and eyes back to the receiver running the slant and uses his quick release to throw this dart.

Watch Garoppolo release this ball before the receiver gets into his break in this clip.

Garoppolo is fifth among quarterbacks for third-down completion percentage. This is a sign he knows his stuff. Third down requires knowledge of pressures, hot reads, sights, being able to buy time with your feet in the pocket, and accurate passing with pressure in your face.

Here he is last Sunday doing most of the above. It’s a pressure. He sets the protection and hangs in there knowing he’s getting hit. On top of that, he has excellent ball placement.

He’s got the pocket presence of a veteran, too. Here’s another third down with Jimmy G using his legs to buy time. He steps up and out, then throws an accurate pass on the move for a first down. It all just looks so smooth

I’ll present this play without comment. Well, I can’t do that, but notice Garoppolo square up his shoulders to make this throw.

And we have all seen this play by now. Ridiculous. Side-arm throw on the move to the left.

There’s just so much to like with Jimmy Garoppolo. I think it’s easy to see why the Niners stole him from the Patriots for a second-round draft pick.