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San Francisco significantly struggled offensively, with their lone scoring play coming off a near interception, while the defense struggled to contain both quarterback Aidan O'Connell and the run game in a disappointing effort.
Here are the grades for the quarterbacks for the 49ers in their loss to the Raiders.
Trey Lance: D
If you only look at the box scores, you'd be surprised to hear Trey Lance earn a 'D' for his performance on Sunday, as the quarterback passed for 112 yards on 10/15 passing with a touchdown pass.
Lance and the offense severely struggled to begin the game, as the quarterback was sacked three times on his first six dropbacks, with the 49ers going 3-and-out on each of their first three drives.
While the offensive line struggled to create a clean pocket for Lance, there were times when you wished he was more decisive, electing to throw some passes with anticipation, rather than double-clutching and holding onto the football.
Similar to how training camp practices went, Lance found a groove more as the day went along, hitting 8/11 passes for 103 yards and the touchdown the rest of the way, but still, there were flaws in that mix.
Lance had two turnover-worthy plays: a near interception in the endzone to cornerback Duke Shelley that bounced off the defender's hands into those of Ross Dwelley for a touchdown, and a near interception over the middle to a linebacker where the quarterback telegraphed the pass, leading to a good break by the defender.
Still, there was good in Lance's day; the quarterback had a pair of downfield completions: a dig to Chris Conley for 17 yards on 3rd & 15, as well as a 24-yard pass to the same wideout during a two-minute drill before the half.
Additionally, Lance was able to lead three sustained drives: a seven-play, 61-yard touchdown drive that was well-orchestrated until the final throw, even with the touchdown result, a seven-play, 25-yard drive that was stuffed on a failed fourth down run, and a five-play, 61-yard drive in 34 seconds to get Jake Moody a 40-yard field goal at the end of the half, which he missed.
Some of Lance's best stuff didn't even come on downfield plays; instead, the quarterback showcased the ability to avoid pressure at times, and made some nice dumpoffs on the run that helped propel drives.
Overall, it wasn't a pretty day for Lance, given the number of mistakes, especially early, but the sprinkle of positive plays saves his grade from an "F" to a "D".
Sam Darnold: C+
Sam Darnold had the better day of the two quarterbacks, although the bar was fairly low, playing the entire third quarter, as well as a small portion of the fourth quarter in Sunday's game.
Darnold finished 5/8 for 84 yards, with a beautiful 37-yard deep ball to Ronnie Bell serving as the highlight of the day.
Darnold benefitted from a mix of run and pass plays incorporated into his drives, as the 49ers compiled a nine-play, 59-yard drive on Darnold's first set of plays, although it resulted in zero points as the quarterback was stuffed on a sneak on 4th & 1, resulting in a loss of downs.
The quarterback had two completions of over 10 air yards, with both going in the direction of Bell, who had himself a solid day overall.
Darnold did have some inaccuracies, as well as a number of shorter passes, but didn't see too much action, as his second drive was thwarted by a Cameron Latu fumble on the first play, while his third drive was an eight-play, 30-yard series that resulted in a missed 58-yard field goal from Jake Moody.
- Rohan Chakravarthi
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Written by:Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
