Biggest studs, duds from 49ers preseason win vs. Packers

The 49ers pulled off an impressive win over the Packers in Week 1 of the preseason, but who ended up on the ‘studs and duds’ list?

At the end of the San Francisco 49ers’ first drive against the visiting Green Bay Packers in Week 1 of the 2022 preseason, quarterback Trey Lance overthrew rookie wide receiver Danny Gray on what would have been a key third-down conversion attempt if it was a regular-season game.

Exhibition narratives aside, it was a bit of a worrisome miss, as Lance had some issues in training camp targeting players deep down the field and beyond the numbers.

And while the Niners had to settle for a field goal on that first drive, Lance more than made up for it on the next drive, hitting Gray for a bomb of a 76-yard touchdown down the left sideline and outside the numbers:

Sure, Lance didn’t have to worry about Green Bay’s top cornerback, Jaire Alexander. Yet the throw under pressure was more than impressive.

Understandably, Lance kicks off the first Niner Noise “studs and duds” list of the 2022 season because of his efforts Friday night, which helped lead to a 28-21 home victory for the red and gold.

49ers stud vs. Packers: QB Trey Lance

Lance had a few modest moments on his opening series, including a nice bootleg rollout where he hit wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud for 8 yards. Tack on a 7-yard rush play by the quarterback, which he later admitted was the first time he’d ever slid going down while playing football, and the No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft showcased some prowess.

However, it was that deep throw to Gray that all but cemented the realization that San Francisco potentially has a special quarterback on its roster.

Overall on the night, of which Lance only saw two series, he went 4-of-5 for 92 yards, the touchdown against the lone overthrow and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

All in all, that’s pretty good for the quarterback, who was only expected to get 10 snaps during the game.