It's time: The Trey Lance era starts now for the 49ers

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INGLEWOOD -- The inevitable always becomes a reality eventually. The longer the 49ers wait, the harder this is going to be and the more time that will be wasted. 

Let's say it like it is: The Jimmy Garoppolo era is over. The Trey Lance era officially began the moment the clock struck zero Sunday night in the 49ers' 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. 

"I love Jimmy," Kyle Shanahan said after the loss. "I'm not gonna sit here and make a farewell statement or anything." 

He doesn't need to. Shanahan might as well have the moment the 49ers traded multiple first-round draft picks to move up and select Lance No. 3 overall. The coach stuck with his guy, and that ultimately proved to be the right decision. 

For how limited he is as a quarterback, Garoppolo is among the great leaders in the NFL. His teammates love him, as do his coaches. He has played through injuries, he says all the right things and he helped lead the 49ers to two conference championships and one Super Bowl.

His limitations also became the clearest when it mattered most. 

Garoppolo entered Sunday's contest with a 4-1 record as the 49ers' starting quarterback in the playoffs. His only loss was the Super Bowl. He also had thrown only two touchdowns and was intercepted five times in those five games. 

On Sunday, he completed 16 of his 30 pass attempts for a postseason-high 232 yards and tossed two touchdowns. He missed a wide-open George Kittle on his first pass attempt of the day, and later hit Kittle for a 16-yard touchdown to give the 49ers a 17-7 lead. Garoppolo threw a beautiful deep ball to Brandon Aiyuk in the second quarter and had a handful of head-scratchers before, in between and after. 

In what sure appears to be his final pass attempt in a 49ers jersey, Garoppolo was running for his life before throwing a desperation pitch forward too high to running back JaMycal Hasty and was intercepted at his own 19-yard line. 

Garoppolo went 3-for-9 for 30 yards and that interception in the fourth quarter. In his six playoffs games with the 49ers, he has a 28.0 passer rating in the fourth quarter, ranking last among 69 quarterbacks with 30 or more fourth-quarter passes in the playoffs since 1991, according to the Associated Press' Josh Dubow.

A despondent Garoppolo clearly saw the writing on the wall after the game. 

"They hit pretty hard in the locker room," Garoppolo said of his emotions. "I think these next couple of days it'll start to settle in a little bit. Emotions are high after a game, win or loss. 

"It's one of those things you got to be glad it happened, smile about it and think about the good things. We'll see what happens these next couple days, these next couple weeks, whatever. I love this team. The fight and battle in this team has been really impressive and I love these guys."

When asked how he managed his emotions all season long, Garoppolo first said "I don't know" before thanking all the people around him who have supported the QB. 

His rookie backup certainly is one of those people. Lance has done nothing but praise Garoppolo and thoroughly believes he learned an unmatched amount of knowledge this season from him. Now, it's his turn to prove that and let his skills shine. 

We saw glimpses, both good and bad, from the extremely raw 21-year-old this season. He threw a 5-yard touchdown on his first pass attempt in the NFL. His 1-yard rushing TD at the end of the first half in Week 3 was the first score of the game for the 49ers before nearly coming back and beating the Green Bay Packers under Garoppolo. Lance threw two touchdowns off the bench for an injured Garoppolo the next week and showcased his dual-threat ability a week later in his first start by leading the 49ers with 89 rushing yards. 

The rookie didn't attempt a single pass for nearly three months before starting Week 17 against the Houston Texans in a game full of playoff implications. He completed just under 70 percent of his passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. It was a completely different offense with Lance on the field, as seen in one single play. 

With the 49ers up 10-7 and 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Lance rolled to his right, unleashed a bomb across the field to his left and hit Deebo Samuel in stride for a 45-yard touchdown. 

The throw was awfully similar to what made a whole lot of 49ers fans excited during the preseason. 

It also gave us all a glimpse into the possible future of Lance running the show with ultra-talented weapons like Samuel, Kittle and Aiyuk around him. The potential was unquestioned, just as it was before the draft. Now, he was doing it when the 49ers needed him to turn potential into results, just as they will going forward. 

The NFC could be losing both Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady this offseason. Russell Wilson's marriage with the Seattle Seahawks looks to be on the rocks, and both the Rams and Arizona Cardinals sure are beatable -- even with Matthew Stafford and Kyler Murray running the show for their respective teams. 

The show now belongs to Lance. It might not be perfect right away, it might take some time to get used to, but the 49ers can't wait any longer. Everything they do going forward should be with the intent of setting their new QB up for success the best they possibly can. 

RELATED: 49ers lament three plays that led to NFC title game loss to Rams

Garoppolo will find a new home. There are too many teams in need of a QB and he has earned too many fans around the league for him not to. His time in Santa Clara will be remembered for highs and lows, complaints and admiration. The life of a QB who did a lot, just not enough, all while earning loads of respect. 

The keys to the building now belong to Lance. Open the garage and let this sports car go. The time is now. 

Welcome to the Trey Lance era.

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