Trey Lance not getting a lot of help from 49ers receivers vs. Chargers

Rookie quarterback Trey Lance has seen more than a few of his 49ers receivers lose passes off their hands in Week 2 of the preseason against the Chargers.

San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance didn’t exactly have the same eye-popping field moments early during his entrance to a preseason game like he did a week ago when he took the field against the Kansas City Chiefs.

This time, facing the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFI Stadium, Lance didn’t come out with an 80-yard bomb of a touchdown pass.

But what did carry over was a trend of the Niners’ receiving targets not being able to hold onto the ball.

True, Lance bears a portion of the blame for neither leading his receivers and, at least on one play, delivering a heater instead of a finesse pass. The first time, a 3rd-and-long in the second quarter, Lance tried to hit wide receiver Deebo Samuel only to see the pass bounce off the third-year pro’s hands.

Was it thrown a bit too high, perhaps? Yes. Yet Samuel didn’t exactly do Lance any favors.

San Francisco was forced to punt on the following snap, but a defensive safety that gave the 49ers the lead allowed Lance and the offense to get back out there on a short field.

Except Lance was again let down by another one of his receiving targets.

Trey Lance tosses his first NFL-level touchdown with 49ers

Again, preseason narrative here. None of this counts.

Following the safety, Lance attempted to hit veteran wide receiver Mohamed Sanu for what would have been a sizable first-down gain on 3rd-and-4. But the quarterback delivered a heater that bounced off Sanu’s hands and into the waiting arms of Chargers defensive back Tevaughn Campbell for the interception:

Again, Lance could have delivered that ball with a bit more touch and finesse. The hot pass might have been a bit too much.

Read More: 49ers vs. Chargers: Live game thread, how to watch

But Sanu didn’t exactly do Lance any favors either.

Los Angeles, taking advantage of the short field, was able to march down and score the game’s first touchdown in the wake of Lance’s turnover.

Last week against Kansas City, four of Lance’s pass attempts were dropped. Looks like that trend is continuing in Week 2 of the preseason.