After the San Francisco 49ers' disappointing loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, a lot of people criticized Trey Lance and his poor play. In fact, some even argued they would have won the contest had Jimmy Garoppolo started.

However, 49ers legend Jerry Rice thinks the NFL wannabe-experts are jumping to conclusions too quickly before showing his support and confidence for Lance. After all, it is just the first game of the season for a young quarterback who is taking over the franchise as QB1 for the first time in his career.

While Rice understands the frustration of fans and the competition behind it, he is of the belief that Lance can bounce back and show a better performance the next time out.

“Hold up, man. It's the first game of the season, guys. Come on, now,” Rice said, via 49ers Webzone. “I understand competition. There ain't nothing wrong with competition. I think Trey, he has the maturity where he's going to deal with this. He knows that this is his team, and it's up to him to lose the [starting] quarterback position.

“I think he's only going to get better. Look at some of the throws he made to Brandon Aiyuk and some of the other receivers, guys. We need to dial [the quarterback debate] back just a little bit.”

Trey Lance did play badly, finishing just 13 of his 28 passes for 164 yards. He failed to throw for a touchdown and even had one interception, so the concerns were warranted.

However, as Jerry Rice said it, hitting the panic button might be too premature. It's not like anyone expected Lance to be perfect right from the start. Besides, growing pains were expected, especially for Lance. Even those young QBs with starting experience struggled in Week 1.

Hopefully, Lance will be able to bounce back in Week 2. A lot of eyes will be on him, so there's extra pressure to deliver. Not to mention that Jimmy Garoppolo remains his backup. The 49ers will be facing the Seattle Seahawks at home.