Trey Lance takes over at quarterback in 49ers' loss, could make first start with Jimmy Garoppolo ailing
Trey Lance took the reins at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, and he might not be handing them back right away.
The rookie quarterback and No. 3 overall pick in this year's NFL draft took over in the second half of Sunday's 28-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks after Jimmy Garoppolo was hampered by a calf injury.
Garoppolo said after the game he hoped that he would only be out "a couple of weeks" with the injury, which he said he sustained during the first series.
"I don't know exactly what happened," said Garoppolo, who will undergo an MRI on Monday. "I kept trying to go in and it got worse and worse."
The 49ers face the 4-0 Arizona Cardinals next Sunday and have their bye the following week.
The injury marks the latest setback for Garoppolo, who missed 23 games from 2018-20 due to multiple ailments.
"It's just tough, man," Garoppolo said. "Been in this situation too many times. It's getting real old. It's just one of those things that's part of the business, though."
On Sunday, Lance threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 9-of-18 passing. He added 41 yards on seven carries.
“I thought he ran the ball well, hit some passes, obviously missed some passes,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He was in a tough situation there when we were down two scores. He did a good job moving the chains a couple of times with his legs, but it looked like a typical first game.”
The North Dakota State product drew the 49ers within one score of the Seahawks in the final two minutes when he found wide receiver Deebo Samuel for an 8-yard touchdown and ran in the two-point conversion. But Seattle recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt to thwart the comeback attempt.
On his second series of the game, Lance found Samuel for a 76-yard touchdown.
“I think there were plays, good and bad, throughout the half,” Lance said. “I missed some big ones, missed some easy ones, missed some checkdowns. Just definitely a few plays that I want back. I’m going to go back and watch it tonight and I think I’ll learn a lot from that.”
Garoppolo completed 14 of 23 passes for 165 yards with one touchdown and one interception before exiting.
Lance only played seven snaps in limited packages during the 49ers' first three games. He ran four times for 3 yards and completed his only pass attempt for 5 yards and a touchdown.
Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trey Lance could be 49ers' new starting QB with Jimmy Garoppolo out
