Jimmy Garoppolo remains set to be the Week 1 starter when the San Francisco 49ers take on the Detroit Lions. Nothing that happened on Saturday night in the preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs changed that.
Rookie Trey Lance did create a buzz with his impressive 80-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Trent Sherfield. However, it was just one of five completions in 14 attempts. Lance's overall performance earned him a Pro Football Focus grade of 48.8, among the worst of the team's offensive players.
While the high-potential quarterback showed that he could become one of the league's most intriguing players, he also showed that he is still a rookie and has a lot to improve.
"I obviously left a lot of big plays out there," Lance said after the game. "Wish I would've, you know, taken advantage of the opportunities that were given a few times, especially at the end of the half and starting that first drive of the second half."
Lance did get to work with the game's offensive "starters." That's in quotes because key pieces like left tackle Trent Williams and center Alex Mack didn't suit up. Tight end George Kittle wasn't there as an outlet for the football. Neither fullback Kyle Juszczyk nor running back Raheem Mostert played either.
Still, Lance showed enough to excite fans—and his head coach—for the next two exhibition games.
"For him to get his first NFL game, his second game here over the last year playing, I thought it was huge for him," Kyle Shanahan said on Sunday. "And I know there's a lot of things that he's going to already know without seeing us that he's going to be hard on himself for and that he can get better. And that's why I'm just excited to get it going. I can't wait for him to play in these next two."
Will Lance get a lengthier outing with the first-team offense once Garoppolo is done? Shanahan stated that several starters who missed Saturday's game would play against the Los Angeles Chargers next weekend. So when will the rookie quarterback earn more time with the ones?
The coach isn't entirely certain.
"I don't know," Shanahan replied when asked when he might make that decision. "I haven't really defined that for myself either. Just when I think it feels right, when he seems ready, when I think the team seems ready. I mean, we'll continue to mix him in there, but I don't plan on just doing that completely.
"But Trey, what he showed in that game is -- I wish I could have left them there longer. I know he enjoys playing. He's only been able to play one game in over a year, but I think it was good for him to get out.
"I think he started out good, got a little excited sometimes, which he does. And you get a little excited, some of your technique and stuff, you lose, which will be fun to watch with him."
Shanahan isn't too worried about preseason mistakes. The coach knows his 21-year-old quarterback will learn and grow from the experience.
Added Shanahan: "Trey's a guy who's tough on himself and loves to correct things. And since we've had him, he's been very good at correcting mistakes."
