The Facts: The moment the 49ers traded a haul of draft picks to move up and select a quarterback, Garoppolo knew his long-term future was in doubt. The QB admitted this week his uncertain future has been on his mind all season. "It's always in the back of your mind," Garoppolo said Wednesday. "It has been in mine really this whole season. I knew what type of season it was, knew everything that was going on behind the scenes and whatnot. So it was a little different. But, at the same time, you've got to toe that line because you don't want to get too emotional in those moments. You've just got to go play football when it comes down to it, but, the human side definitely comes into play."

Diehards Line: Despite all that, the veteran signal-caller has clung to the starting role when healthy, keeping rookie Trey Lance as a spot starter and backup. But the truth is Lance will be the future. Soon. But for now, Garoppolo has been good enough to get the Niners to the postseason -- and that's enough to keep him under center. And before the offseason hits and a decision is made on his future, Jimmy G hopes for another deep postseason run with the Niners, starting with Sunday afternoon's bout with the rival Dallas Cowboys."I love this team, love the players, love everything about it," he said. "It's a good group to be around, fun group. We want to keep this thing going for as long as we can now." ... You can get more background on the X in our Wildcard Weekend Team Notes.