5:51 p.m.: It looks like the 49ers will have to deal with a worst-case injury scenario today, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Lance’s ankle injury is “expected to require surgery that will likely end his season.” San Francisco is fortunate, in the short term, to keep Garoppolo, who will likely sit in the 49ers’ spot for the rest of the season. There were whispers around the league that a trade could still be on the books as teams like the Cowboys saw major hits at the quarterback position. Long term, San Francisco has to have some concerns about the development of its new investment at quarterback. It’s certainly not Lance’s fault, but if the rumors of his season ending are true, Lance will have gone three years in the NFL without playing significant, consistent time at quarterback. In a sport that requires constant practice and skill improvement, this is a disastrous start to a promising career for Lance. 3:36 p.m.: Today marked a milestone in Trey Lance’s young NFL career. Instead of a bounce, however, it resulted in the 49ers quarterback being carted off the field with a leg injury, the team confirmed. Lance will be sidelined for the rest of the game, according to a club statement. He put air on his right leg before being led off the field to the locker room. As a result of the injury, Jimmy Garoppolo has taken over behind center in San Francisco. Lance spent the entire offseason knowing he would be taking on the franchise tag of the 49ers. The team traded up to pick him third overall in the 2021 draft, so it was no surprise they turned their attention to the 22-year-old. Expectations were understandably high, but his limited action in college and as a rookie backing up Garoppolo led to plenty of question marks entering the campaign. The North Dakota State product did little to assuage doubts about his ability to serve as a high-quality starter last week. In an upset loss to the Bears, Lance completed just 13-of-28 passes for 164 yards and an interception, adding 54 yards on 13 rushing attempts. The conditions played a big role in each team’s offensive struggles, of course, but a lot was thought to go into Lance’s performance today against the Seahawks. It was reported earlier this week that coach Kyle Shanahan could turn to Garoppolo as early as the team’s next game against the Broncos should Lance struggle. Now, he has done it out of sheer necessity. Garoppolo was the source of trade speculation all summer, but remained in the Bay Area through a restructured contract. Depending on the length of Lance’s absence, the veteran could once again carry the load for a long time. In the immediate future, Garoppolo faces the task of guiding a 49ers offense that, for the second straight contest, is without All-Pro tight end George Kittle against the Seahawks. Seattle pulled off an upset over Denver last week, but San Francisco currently leads 13-0. However, the big picture implications are big for the team at the QB position.
