5 things Trey Lance revealed during 49ers win vs. Texans
By Peter Panacy
10. 23. 42. Final. 7
Shaky at times and off to a slow start, 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance nevertheless showed plenty of positives in the Week 17 win over the Texans.
It would have been foolish to expect San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance to suddenly pop in the Week 17 game against the Houston Texans and look like a Pro Bowl-caliber signal-caller with three years of experience under his belt.
Lance started off slow, showing all the signs of a first-year player who had just six quarters of full-time action this season and hadn’t played much at all since his lone year as a collegiate starter at North Dakota State back in 2019.
He probably wasn’t aided too much by the feeling-out process with head coach Kyle Shanahan, who seemed initially unable to correctly dial up a game plan that would suit Lance’s abilities or, at the very least, wouldn’t be too overly protective.
Yet that all changed on the Niners’ final drive of the first half, culminating in Lance leading the offense to score their first points on a field goal before halftime.
From that point on, Lance looked like a quality rookie by all means.
Top rookie QB passer ratings this season in a victory:
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) January 3, 2022
142.1: Mac Jones, NE, Week 10, vs. Cleveland
130.6: Davis Mills, HOU, Week 16 vs. LA Chargers
128.1: Mac Jones, NE, Week 17 vs. Jacksonville
123.2: Mac Jones, NE, Week 12 vs. Tenn
116.0: Trey Lance, SF, Week 17 vs. Hou
Let’s take a look at some specific things, both good and bad, Lance showcased in San Francisco’s 23-7 home win over Houston.
No. 5: Trey Lance has Kyle Shanahan’s trust in 2-minute drills
Perhaps it had a little to do with the fact Houston isn’t very good, offensively. But in previous weeks, including the 49ers’ Week 16 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Shanahan would frequently run out the clock if he had possession in advance of halftime, particularly with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback.
Not so with Lance, although that early 7-0 deficit probably sparked some things, too.
This breakdown from NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger highlights the six-play, 56-yard drive that lasted 38 seconds and culminated with a field goal by kicker Robbie Gould to get the Niners on the board.
Considering San Francisco was to receive the second-half kickoff, it wouldn’t have been shocking at all to see Shanahan go with some basic kneel-downs to prevent Lance from doing any more damage.
Instead, Shanahan let Lance be aggressive in that situation, something not common over the years with Garoppolo.