Subscribe
Follow Us
The San Francisco 49ers are sitting at 8-7, right on the cusp of a playoff berth. However, the organization has a very important decision in front of them ahead of their Week 17 game against the Houston Texans. The 49ers must decide if they want to hand the keys to the franchise over to rookie quarterback Trey Lance, who appears to be on the verge of earning the start in Week 17 or continue to roll with Jimmy Garoppolo as their starter when he's healthy. Given the big draft haul it took to bring Lance to San Francisco, his promising potential in the modern-day NFL and the struggles of Garoppolo, it's time for San Francisco to make a change at quarterback.
Here are three reasons why the 49ers need to end the Jimmy Garoppolo era and hand Trey Lance the keys to the franchise.
3. The 49ers need to find out if they made the right decision last spring
The 49ers made a huge splash in the NFL draft last spring, trading away three future first-round picks to move up to the third spot in the draft order, where they selected North Dakota State's Trey Lance. While time will tell if the 49ers made the right decision, it would be malpractice for the organization to go through this entire year without finding out what they really have in Lance, especially after spending so much of their draft capital to get him in the first place. In addition, with many other NFL teams seemingly in need of a quarterback, the 49ers could have a trade market for Jimmy Garoppolo if they make the switch to Lance right now. After a big draft move this past offseason, the 49ers need to find out what they really have in Lance as soon as possible.
Article Continues Below
2. Jimmy Garoppolo's ship has sailed with the 49ers
49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has had a good career in San Francisco. Garoppolo has led the 49ers to a Super Bowl during his tenure in San Francisco, something a lot of other NFL quarterback can't say. He has had his moments this season too, as he has posted the highest passer rating since the 2019 Super Bowl run. However, he has had too many moments where the 49ers needed him to step up, such as in the red zone against the Tennessee Titans last week, or against the Seattle Seahawks a couple of weeks ago, and he hasn't been able to. It's worth the risk for the 49ers to move on from Garoppolo and find out what they have in Lance. What better time to do it then in Week 17, with Garoppolo injured and an inconsistent Texans team on the schedule?
1. Trey Lance can make the 49ers offense deadly
49ers rookie Trey Lance is armed with a unique skillset. Lance flashed such skills during his sophomore year at North Dakota State, where he threw for 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions while running for over 1,000 yards and another 14 touchdowns. The Bison averaged over 280 rushing yards per game with Lance leading the offense. The 49ers rookie has also flashed such dual-threat capabilities in the NFL, as he has thrown for 354 yards and ran for 137 in five games played this season. The 49ers have been more pass-heavy than in years past, but they are at their best when they play physical, run-first football. They have the seventh-ranked rushing offense in the league, but they could be the best rushing offense in the NFL with Kyle Shanahan dialing up read-option plays and designed runs for Trey Lance. Lance can make the 49ers offense deadly as they continue their push for the playoffs.
