49ers vs. Chargers: 3 things Trey Lance must do in preseason bout

No. 1: 49ers must see Trey Lance take fewer sacks

Another one of those elements stemming from Trey Lance’s inaugural NFL performance was him not adequately responding to all the pressure Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sent his way a week ago.

To be fair, Lance primarily worked behind a permeable and porous second-string Niners offensive line, which has been one of training camp’s growing problems. But of the four sacks Lance took during the game, two could have been easily avoided, and one could make the argument a third might have been on Lance’s shoulders, too.

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Lance has taken mock sacks in joint practices with the Chargers, too, so that’s clearly going to be something worth monitoring during the game.

And it should be understandable, if not totally excuseable.

As is the case with Lance recognizing how to avoid risky throws, adjusting to the speed of the NFL game is going to be something that takes time. And if Kyle Shanahan continues to hinder Lance’s ability and willingness to use his legs as an escape measure, which shouldn’t be a focal point for preseason games anyway, the chances of facing pressure and sack situations will only increase.

But for Lance to adjust, he’ll want to cut down on those totals, and even getting below four sacks over roughly two quarters played would be an improvement.

San Francisco and Los Angeles kick off on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET from SoFI Stadium.