49ers schedule release: 3 games that should have been prime time
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Week 11 — 49ers at Jaguars
Unlike previous years, NFL fans will actually want to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars this season.
Well, they’ll want to watch the Jags for no other reason than but to see what the top pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, does his rookie season.
All signs point to Lawrence starting right out of the gate for Jacksonville, and that’s fine. Although that doesn’t alone explain why San Francisco’s Week 11 visit to the Jaguars should be a nationally televised game.
Unless one factors in Trey Lance.
Rookie quarterbacks, especially those drafted early, always create a lot of hype. And while the notion is head coach Kyle Shanahan will continue to start Jimmy Garoppolo for the full course of 2021 while Lance develops, it’d be silly to automatically assume Lance would remain benched if he winds up outperforming Garoppolo in practices as the season moves along.
And by Week 11, Lance could be ready.
A Lance-versus-Lawrence bout would be pretty epic to watch, as these two young future faces of the NFL would potentially square off to determine which team made the right choice atop the draft order.