San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will not play this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals, clearing the way for rookie Trey Lance to make his first NFL start. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan delivered the news to reporters on Friday.
Kyle Shanahan on preparing @treylance09 for his first start.#SFvsAZ | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/VmUHNUqlNv
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 8, 2021
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Garoppolo suffered a calf injury last weekend against the Seattle Seahawks, giving Lance his first extended reps of the season. The 49ers veteran hasn't practiced all week, so it's go time for the rookie as the starter.
Lance showed some flashes in the 28-21 loss to Seattle. He immediately connected with Deebo Samuel on a 76-yard touchdown pass and wound up completing nine out of 18 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed seven times for 41 yards. He didn't turn the ball over.
The 49ers rookie got spot action before last week's game. Nance threw a 5-yard touchdown on his first career pass against the Detroit Lions, and he rushed for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers.
With Lance now getting his first start, it's hard to see San Francisco going back to Garoppolo, even once he gets healthy. We just saw something similar happen with Justin Fields, Andy Dalton and the Chicago Bears. Lance is the future of the franchise, and Garoppolo just isn't good enough to keep the rookie off the field.
Facing the Cardinals will be a tough challenge for Lance and the 49ers. Arizona is the lone undefeated team remaining.
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