49ers vs. Raiders: 3 ways Trey Lance shows improvement

No. 1: 49ers want Trey Lance to put some finesse on his passes

Another aspect of Trey Lance’s efforts readily observable was just how hot he was delivering his passes against the Chargers.

All fastballs, nothing offspeed.

Granted, NFL-caliber wide receivers have to learn how to hang onto passes with a little more velocity on them, and Lance is starting to show he can fit those kinds of throws through tight windows.

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At the same time, however, not every play and pass call for a high-velociy toss. And this was something Kyle Shanahan called out after the Niners’ 15-10 win in Southern California, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco:

"I think when you can throw it really hard, when you’re amped up and ready to go, some of those things are going to happen. You would love to make it easier and catch footballs, but also our guys better get used to it. He throws pretty hard. Some are tougher than others, but I don’t think that had to do with a couple (incomplete passes)."

Part of it simply might be Lance’s arm strength. But as Shanahan said, another element could be the rookie’s pure excitement combined with the fact the pro-level game is still pretty fast for him.

A bit more touch could go a long way when both teams square off this Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.