NFL: Jimmy Garoppolo will get start for 49ers

For Jimmy Garoppolo, the wait is over.

It’s time to show he is ready to be a franchise quarterback, and that begins against his hometown team.

Garoppolo makes his first start for San Francisco when the 49ers visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday in a game that matches struggling franchises.

“It’s exciting,� he said. “It really is. I’ve got a lot of family and friends going. They’re just as excited as I am. It’s going to be a fun opportunity. Good challenge for our team.�

Garoppolo grew up a Bears fan in suburban Arlington Heights and played at Eastern Illinois.

He had Brian Urlacher and Anthony Thomas jerseys as a youngster. But when he arrives at Soldier Field on Sunday, it will be his first time there for a Bears game.

He’ll have quite a vantage point as the 49ers (1-10) try to pick up a rare win and hand the Bears (3-8) their fifth straight loss.

Acquired from New England for a second-round draft pick in late October, Garoppolo finally gets his chance to be a starter after backing up Tom Brady for 31/2 years.

Though he has an expiring contract, the 49ers clearly view Garoppolo as a potential franchise quarterback.

Peppers is fined $24,000 for hit

Cleveland Browns rookie safety Jabrill Peppers was fined $24,000 by the NFL for his personal foul in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Peppers was flagged for striking Bengals receiver Josh Malone in the helmet area. Peppers feels he delivered a blow to Malone’s chest and strongly disagrees with the call.

Malone plans to appeal and even though he knows the fine won’t be rescinded, he hopes it will be lowered.

“I don’t have 24 to give like that,� he said.

Moments after Peppers was penalized, Cincinnati scored a touchdown to wrap up a 30-16 win.

Etc.

Bears safety Quintin Demps practiced for the first time since breaking his left arm in late September. His return to practice opened a 21-day window for Chicago to decide whether to activate him from injured reserve or have him miss the remainder of the season. ... Darrelle Revis is expected to make his debut with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, and it will fittingly come against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. The seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback established himself as one of the best at his position during his first tenure with the Jets, which began in 2007.

A North Carolina man filed a lawsuit against Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, whom he says seduced his wife. The Charlotte Observer reported that Joshua Jeffords filed the civil suit on Nov. 22. Cox is being sued for alienation of affection. Jeffords said in the filing that he learned in September of text and Snapchat messages between his wife and Cox, including explicit photos and discussions of having children together.