Garoppolo’s ankle feels better for 49ers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jimmy Garoppolo’s sprained right ankle felt much better this week in practice, making the 49ers confident their quarterback can bounce back from a rough performance last week that got him pulled at halftime.

Garoppolo initially injured the ankle in a Week 2 win against the Jets and returned last Sunday against the Dolphins after being limited most of the week at practice. He never looked comfortable and threw two interceptions before getting pulled at halftime during a 43-17 loss.

Garoppolo was a full participant in practice all week for the Niners (2-3) leading into Sunday night’s home game against the Rams.

“It’s feeling great this week. It really is,” Garoppolo said Friday. “Just made a lot of improvements, just a couple extra days I think to consistently get better. So, it’s just one of those things you’ve just got to keep working at it.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan said the high ankle sprain is something Garoppolo will have to deal with for a while.

But Shanahan said he doesn’t believe it will hamper Garoppolo as much as it did last week when he struggled to push off his plant foot, contributing to his second interception that sailed high over the intended target.

“I’m not thinking about the ankle and I don’t think he is going into the game,” Shanahan said. “I think you try to get to a point where you’re healthy enough to play, which a lot of guys are at, but a lot of guys have injuries they’ve got to play through. It’s the point of where you’re at in that. I think Jimmy’s at a better spot this week than he was last week.”

A series of injuries that have sidelined Garoppolo, All-Pro tight end George Kittle, running back Raheem Mostert, receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and center Ben Garland have made it difficult for the Niners to get into a rhythm offensively because of a lack of practice time.