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The San Francisco 49ers battled the Oakland Raiders in their first preseason matchup, and the storyline has been the struggles of QB Trey Lance early on.
Lance just recovered from a fractured ankle in Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season, and he has been having a tough time getting back into the mix for San Francisco. In the first quarter, he was sacked three times and had trouble making throws, as described by Marcus Mosher of PFF.
It's only the preseason… but Trey Lance is struggling.
Has already taken three sacks and has missed multiple throws high.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) August 13, 2023
Another 49ers fan and Youtuber discussed the obstacles that Lance was facing, as his final first half line came to four sacks with rough protection before Sam Darnold took over for the rest of the game.
Trey Lance 10/15 1 TD, 4 Sacks. Some good, some bad, some luck. Awful protection. Nerves. All on display today. Overreact in the comments.
— Ryan G Hensley (@ryanghensley) August 13, 2023
Some fans had argued that Lance's protection had been miserable, but NBC Sports reporter Matt Maiocco detailed the missed opportunities by Lance to capitalize on short passing completions before the pocket imploded.
It looked as if both sacks on the opening series were on Trey Lance. Protection on the short drops was there, and so were the opportunities to get rid of the football.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) August 13, 2023
While Lance did muster a second quarter touchdown, it was a strange deflection that wasn't even caught on the main camera. His pass was nearly intercepted before tipping in the air and getting lost on the screen, with his tight end suddenly emerging with the ball.
Wild: What in the world just happened?
Well… touchdown Trey Lance, looked like a pick, camera lost the ball, touchdown off the deflection.pic.twitter.com/y1vmuct8BZ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 13, 2023
The 49ers QB rumors will rage on through the preseason, despite head coach Kyle Shanahan confirming Brock Purdy as the starter last week. While Lance may not be on the field in Day 1, he could be traded to another team or continue fighting with Sam Darnold for the backup role in case of injury.
San Francisco returns the vast majority of their top ranked defense from a year ago, and will be a problem to deal with for many opponents. They hold heavy -165 odds to repeat as division champs in the NFC West, per FanDuel Sportsbook, with the only true competition being the Seattle Seahawks.