49ers vs. Cardinals: 5 Niners who stood out in Week 5 loss

While the 49ers suffered a frustrating 17-10 loss to the Cardinals in Week 5, at least these five players stood out for all the right reasons.

The San Francisco 49ers have every right to be both frustrated and disappointed with their 17-10 Week 5 road loss against the still-undefeated Arizona Cardinals. Especially considering, as was the case with their other two losses this season, the Niners’ most recent bout was certainly a winnable game.

Now at 2-3 and last in the NFC West, San Francisco has some soul-searching to do as it heads into its Week 5 bye week.

Fortunately, the 49ers aren’t a bad, rebuilding team. There’s talent there, and it’s in good numbers to suggest a turnaround is possible. And while there were plenty of frustrating elements to what happened in Week 5 against Arizona, a number of players still managed to perform at high levels despite facing off against the No. 1 seed in the NFC currently.

Here are five such players who can at least feel good enough about their individual performances in Week 5.

No. 5: 49ers Quarterback Trey Lance

True, it was far from perfect. But considering how most of the other rookie quarterbacks from this year’s NFL Draft have fared in their starting debuts, Trey Lance at least has to feel reasonably good about his outing against the Cardinals.

Lance completed just over 50 percent of his passes, yes. And he’ll be upset with himself for not scoring on that 4th-and-goal rush play from Arizona’s 1-yard line. There’s the first-quarter interception on an overthrow, too.

All elements Lance will eventually need to work on, as well as needing the game to slow down.

Yet Lance didn’t crumble when facing adversity and setbacks, and he notably performed better when he got into a rhythm during the second half. A number of his passes, including two to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and another deep shot to wide receiver Deebo Samuel, were exceptionally accurate.

And there’s this, too:

For those thinking Lance is ready to take over the starting duties from the veteran, Jimmy Garoppolo, that’s some pretty good ammunition right there.

Lance does have a long way to go, yes. But considering the context of the situation, it’s fair to say the rookie exceeded expectations and showed why he was the No. 3 overall pick from this year’s draft.