Lance was injured with 2:20 left in the first quarter and was replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo. With 2:33 left in the first quarter, the Niners ran a zone read play in which Lance had the option of handing the ball to receiver Ray-Ray McCloud or holding it. He chose to keep it and ran up the middle, where he was met by Cody Burton in the hole. Lance fell awkwardly as his right leg seemed to fold under him.
Lance remained on the court for a few moments in obvious pain. His right leg was in a cast and his teammates quickly gathered around him to offer words of encouragement before he left the field in a wheelchair and headed for the locker room. Immediately after that he was banned. Garoppolo, the veteran quarterback whom Lance replaced in the offseason, entered the game and completed his first attempt for 4 yards before the Niners settled for a field goal. Lance was 2-of-3 for 30 yards and had three carries for 13 yards before leaving. After leading the Niners in rushing attempts (13) and yards (54) in a Week 1 loss to the Bears, Lance spoke at length Wednesday about the differences between college and the NFL and the need to protect when running. “I’m not bigger and faster and stronger than almost everyone else,” Lance said. “Guys catch up a lot quicker, space fills up, guys close down a lot quicker and I have to learn to protect myself, I’m just in a different situation knowing how important it is for me to stay healthy.” After offseason surgery on his right shoulder in early March, Garoppolo agreed to a contract extension with the Niners on August 29, dropping his base salary from $24 million to $6.5 million (fully guaranteed) with incentives for playing time and the success of the team that could reach up to $16 million. Garoppolo looked comfortable in his first game since surgery, going 13-for-21 for 154 yards and a touchdown. He also had four carries for 5 yards and a TD.
