The 49ers took a tough loss on the chin on Sunday, losing to the division rival Seahawks, 28-21. After a solid start to the game on defense, an injury to starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo disrupted an already-struggling offense. That unit was led by talented rookie QB Trey Lance in the second half.
Though his first two throws of the day were way off the mark, Lance didn’t play poorly at all, especially since he was thrown into the game in an emergency situation. He finished with a QB rating of 117.1, thanks to 157 yards passing and two touchdowns on 9-for-18 passing. But the 49ers couldn’t get over the hump against the the experienced Seahawks.
Next week, the 49ers will face the less seasoned (but undefeated) Cardinals, and it appears Lance will step in for Garoppolo, who injured his calf. Shanahan must know that this could be Lance’s entrance into the NFL as a starter, possibly for good.
This is indeed why Lance is on the 49ers, both as a backup QB and a signal-caller that must take control of his own destiny via opportunities like these, through unfortunate injury or not. As for Garoppolo, the veteran says he hopes he’s only out for a “couple weeks.”
That doesn’t sound good. And it’s understandable if Garoppolo is frustrated by his string of injuries as a 49er. But the Trey Lance era may just be starting. After all, he was brought to the Bay Area to take control of the QB situation, and he’ll have his first chance to do so on Sunday.
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