SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Trey Lance showed why the San Francisco 49ers drafted him third overall, displaying a ton of potential as the replacement for injured veteran Jimmy Garoppolo.
The rookie quarterback from North Dakota State delivered big plays in the second half of a 23-7 win over the Texans, overcoming a rough start to complete 16 of 23 passes for 249 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for a 116.0 passer rating.
Big, fast, elusive with a strong arm, Lance has a lot of tools working in his favor. The first-round draft pick averaged the most air yards per attempt (11.5) and threw for the most yards on 10-plus air yards passes (205) of any 49ers quarterback over the past three seasons, according to Next Gen Stats.
“I think I got into a better rhythm,” Lance said. “Probably settled in after that two minute drive, I think that is when I started talking to (quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan), kind of let them know that I felt settled, honestly. But yeah, hopefully can get started faster, whenever that next time is.”
Lance was also bolstered by a strong running game headlined by Elijah Mitchell rushing for 119 yards as the 49ers piled up 175 rushing yards on 37 carries for an average of 4.7 yards per run.
Lance was resilient, rebounding from an interception from cornerback Desmond King that led to Brandin Cooks’ touchdown catch. He connected with Deebo Samuel for a 45-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to take a commanding 17-7 lead. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk caught four passes for 94 yards on six targets.
“He played well enough for them to win today,” Texans coach David Culley said. “He gave us a chance by giving us that one pick. The thing about him is that he’s very mobile and keeps plays alive. He ended up making some throws outside the pocket that kept some drives alive. He played well today.
Lance was only sacked once by defensive end Jordan Jenkins and hit twice. He also rushed for 31 yards on eight carries.
“He is a fast guy,” Jenkins said. “He is a little taller and heavier than I thought when we were taking him down, but he is not afraid to take a hit. He is not afraid to fight for that extra effort. He had some good progress out there today.”
Lance was 10 for 13 in the first half, but he didn’t put enough air under a throw intended for star tight end George Kittle that King picked off.
"I think he did some real good things," Shanahan said. "Besides the bad interception, I thought he protected the ball real well. That was a big thing going into this game and he did a good job on all those except for one play. I think he was very efficient just looking at his numbers and things like that. That big play at the end was huge and for the most part he made some pretty good decisions throwing the ball."
Although the 49ers may wind up going back to Garoppolo if his damaged thumb allows him to get back out the field, Lance served notice that he is the quarterback of the future.
“In the second half, he showed some resiliency coming back in the second half and taking care of the ball and making the right choices and decisions out there at quarterback,” King said. “He has really great potential and just looking forward to what he has coming for the next years.”
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