Things aren't looking so great for the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo has been dealing with a brutal thumb injury, and it seems like the situation might be worse than they thought.

On Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan had a lot of optimism when speaking with the media. He said that Garoppolo's injury does not require surgery and that there was still a chance Garoppolo could play in Week 17 with the Grade III sprain.

Just one day later, reports aren't as optimistic. With his lack of participation on Thursday, the 49ers quarterback has now missed two practices in a row ahead of their matchup against the Texans. Garoppolo was seen during the open media portion of practice, but he was on the sidelines with medical staff instead of practicing.

NBC Sports reporter Matt Maiocco tweeted the news Thursday afternoon.

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If Garoppolo's recovery continues to hinder his ability to play, this would be a huge loss for San Francisco. He has been their leader throughout the entire season, and he has been a major reason that the 49ers are set up to make a playoff run. The 8-7 team has about a 71% chance at making it into the postseason.

In the likely scenario that Garoppolo isn't ready to play come Sunday, backup Trey Lance will take the field for the 49ers. Lance has had limited experience in the NFL during his rookie year, taking snaps in three games for San Francisco early in the season.