It was a tough situation for Trey Lance to be thrown into. But with Jimmy Garoppolo suffering a calf injury during the first half of Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks, the 49ers needed the rookie quarterback to step in.
Running a game plan designed for Garoppolo, Lance was just OK during the 49ers' 28-21 loss at Levi's Stadium. He missed his first throw low to George Kittle and sailed the next one high over the head of Deebo Samuel. Lance says he was ready for his opportunity but knows he left a lot of plays out there on the field.
"Like I said, I think there were plays, good and bad throughout the half," Lance said. "Missed some big ones, missed some easy ones, missed some check downs. Just definitely a few plays that I want back. But like I said, going to go back and watch it tonight and I think I'll learn a lot from that."
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As for the early shaky throws, Lance refused to blame the excitement of the moment for his inaccurate balls.
"I don't want to say nerves or adrenaline or anything like that because I've been in games before and I'm thankful for that and I was prepared for the situation, I felt," Lance said. "So for me, they're easy throws, like maybe thinking too much on the one to George and the one to Deebo was probably a throwaway more than anything, trying to save Deebo. But, getting to check-downs throughout the game, throughout that second half that I was in would have been definitely beneficial for me and for our offense. But yeah, going to continue to get better and go back and watch the tape tonight and excited for this week."
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Coach Kyle Shanahan was happy with how Lance competed given the nature of the situation.
San Francisco 49ers
"Some good, some bad," Shanahan said of Lance's play. "He got thrown in not expecting to get in and I thought he ran the ball well, he hit some passes, obviously missed some passes. Was in a tough situation there when we were down two scores. Did a good job moving the chains a couple of times with his legs, but it looked like a typical first game.
"He went in there unexpected and he competed," Shanahan later said. "Trey's a football player. You guys can see that at times throughout that game. Regardless of what's happening, he's always got a chance to make a play and that's why I think he did. It was good for him to take us down on that scoring drive there at the end.
"But it takes some time to play in this league as you guys have seen throughout. It's about knowing where to get rid of the ball, when to try to make those plays, when to check it down, have other guys do it for you, when to hang in the pocket, when to escape the pocket, and he got a lot of real NFL game experience with that today. Hopefully, he'll get better from it."
After the game, Garoppolo said he hoped the injury only would keep him out for a few weeks. The 49ers will know more after the MRI on Monday.
With Garoppolo nursing another injury, it appears Lance will get the start in Week 5 when the 49ers face the 4-0 Arizona Cardinals. The No. 3 overall pick knows he has to be better going forward and is ready to attack this opportunity for however long it's his.
"Yeah, I'm definitely excited. I'm excited to learn, like I said, learn as much as I can from this one. And then, in turn, the page after these 24 hours and get started on Arizona," Lance said.