Jimmy Garoppolo To Start Vs. Bears: When, How To Watch The Game

After nearly a month since he was traded to the San Francicso 49ers from the New England Patriots, quarterback and Arlington Heights native Jimmy Garoppolo will make his first start with the team Sunday. But it will be a mixed blessing for the Rolling Meadows graduate as he'll face the Chicago Bears, the franchise he grew up rooting for as a kid. The start marks the first time Garoppolo has had the opportunity to play in Chicago since becoming a pro football player when he was drafted by the Patriots in 2014.

"It's going to be cool," the Eastern Illinois University grad told ESPN. "I've never gotten to go back there and play. When I was in New England, a couple times the Bears came out to us. That'd be cool getting back to the hometown and everything."

Last year, the Patriots and the Bears held joint practices in August in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Those sessions culminated in the squads facing one another for a preseason game.

The game against the Bears will be the third career start for Garappolo, who was New England's first-string QB for two games in 2016 while Tom Brady served a four-game suspension. But he injured his shoulder midway through his second start, and he was sidelined until after Brady returned. As a starter, Garappolo is 42-for-59 for 496 yards and has four touchdowns.

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Injury again is a factor connected to Garoppolo's and his place on a team's depth chart. He came in to last Sunday's loss against the Seattle Seahawks after C.J. Beathard suffered a bruised left knee and a hip strain late in the game. Although Beathard's injuries aren't severed, he was "pretty banged up," according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers announced the decision to start Garoppolo late Tuesday.

Fans of the 49ers have been waiting to see Garoppolo step in to the starting role and possibly become the team's quarterback of the future since he was picked up from New England. But Shanahan has tempered that anticipation by saying the young player would need time to learn the new offense.

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Time, however, is not on the 49ers side. San Francisco only has five games left not only to determine whether he can be the franchise's big-name quarterback. Garoppolo is a free agent at the end of the season, and other teams in desperate need of a QB will certainly have an eye on trying to sign him in the offseason.

Garoppolo and Shanahan are expected to talk to reporters Wednesday.

Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers

When: Noon Sunday, Dec. 3

Where: Soldier Field, Chicago

TV | Radio | Streaming: CBS (WBBM-TV, Channel 2) | WBBM 780 AM and 105.9 FM; Sirius XM | NFL.com

Tickets: Go to Ticketmaster to find available seats on sale.

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YOUR TURN: Will you be cheering for Arlington Heights native Jimmy Garoppolo when the San Francisco 49ers face the Chicago Bears on Sunday? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

Arlington Heights native and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images)