The trajectory of the 49ers’ franchise changed on March 26, 2021 when the team traded its first-round pick and two future first-round selections to the Miami Dolphins to move up to the No. 3 spot in the NFL Draft.
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan made their mission clear: The dramatic move positioned the 49ers to draft their quarterback of the future.
A little more than eight months after the 49ers chose Trey Lance out of North Dakota State, the rookie signal-caller made his second career start against the Houston Texans as San Francisco continued its push for a playoff berth.
Despite an ugly first-half performance from the 49ers’ offense and issues converting on third and fourth down, Lance picked up his first career victory as a starting quarterback behind a much-improved second half and a lockdown performance from San Francisco’s defense.
Has the future become the present? Time will tell, but for now, the 49ers improved to 9-7 with a 23-7 win.
STUDS
Trey Lance in the second half: To describe the 49ers’ quarterback’s first six quarters as a starter in the NFL as “uneven” would be doing Lance a favor. Against Arizona and in the first half against Houston on Sunday, Lance appeared jittery, ill-prepared and uncertain of where to go with the football. Even when Lance did wind up and throw downfield, he was often off-target and watched as his throws either wobbled or sailed over the heads of his wide receivers.
In the second half against the Texans, Lance looked like a completely different quarterback as he seemed comfortable and confident in his decision-making. Lance completed a pair of touchdown passes as he made an easy throw to rookie running back Elijah Mitchell on a short play-action pass before launching a deep downfield throw to Deebo Samuel for a 45-yard score.
The 49ers racked up more than 240 yards of offense in the second half as Mitchell’s success on the ground helped open up passing lanes for Lance, who took advantage of the opportunities and secured his first NFL victory.
BUILT DIFFERENT. @19problemz FOR THE TD!#HOUvsSF on CBS/49ers App pic.twitter.com/g7NHN2YT2r
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 2, 2022
Elijah Mitchell: Lance wasn’t the only impressive rookie on the field for the 49ers on Sunday as Mitchell returned to action and ran for 119 yards on 21 carries.
The 49ers’ offense has been at its best this season when Mitchell, a sixth-round draft choice out of Louisiana, has been on the field and his natural ability running inside and outside zone plays was on display all afternoon. With a 37-yard carry in the fourth quarter, Mitchell set up the 49ers’ final score of the day and helped San Francisco put the game out of reach.
Marcell Harris: Harris was the beneficiary of a controversial decision from the officiating crew on Sunday, but he still deserves credit for his efforts filling in at linebacker alongside Fred Warner in place of an injured Azeez Al-Shaair and Dre Greenlaw.
Harris intercepted Texans quarterback Davis Mills in the third quarter and while it appeared clear that he fumbled the ball during his return, the officials determined the 49ers’ linebacker’s forward progress was stopped which gave his offense some much-needed momentum.
Aside from intercepting Mills, Harris made several key stops against the Texans’ rushing attack and played solid coverage.
Brandon Aiyuk: The second-year receiver out of Arizona State was Lance’s favorite target on Sunday as he caught four passes for 94 yards and also drew a long pass interference penalty during the 49ers’ go-ahead drive in the third quarter. Aiyuk wasn’t much of a factor in the 49ers’ offense when Lance made his first career start against the Cardinals, but the duo had obvious chemistry against the Texans as Lance clearly felt comfortable throwing through tight windows to Aiyuk including when they connected on a 43-yard completion on a slant route on a third-quarter third down.
The biggest mistake of Aiyuk’s day came late in the fourth quarter when he was whistled for a holding penalty that negated a touchdown run for Lance and forced the 49ers to kick a field goal.
DUDS
Kyle Shanahan: The 49ers’ head coach has insisted all season that Jimmy Garoppolo gives the team the best chance to win and while that may be true, it’s also apparent Shanahan hasn’t done nearly enough to prepare Lance to start.
Shanahan’s playbook seemed limited and the 49ers’ rookie quarterback appeared totally overwhelmed throughout the first half of Sunday’s game. Much of that can be chalked up to Lance’s lack of experience, but it’s on the head coach and offensive coordinator to ensure Lance is ready for the spotlight. Garoppolo’s durability issues aren’t coming as a surprise to Shanahan –he supported drafting a quarterback because of Garoppolo’s injury history– so it stands to reason the head coach would have Lance better prepared for the challenges of running his offense.
The good news for Shanahan? Lance clearly improved as the game went on and made better decisions in the second half than he did during the first half.
Trey Lance in the first half: Lance made the easy throws and completed 10-of-13 passes for 105 yards, but he never saw a wide-open Deebo Samuel on a potential scoring play and instead underthrew tight end George Kittle on a bad first-quarter interception.
The 49ers entered halftime trailing 7-3 because Shanahan didn’t trust Lance to push the ball downfield and because Lance wasn’t as aggressive as he could have been when carrying the ball on designed quarterback runs. The dynamic between the 49ers’ head coach and its rookie quarterback came under fire right before halftime as Lance and the offense walked off the field to boos following a three-and-out, but fortunately for all involved, Lance was a much better version of himself in the second half.
49ers’ cornerbacks: The Texans hardly have a vaunted passing attack, but the most penalized secondary in the NFL still enabled Mills and Houston to extend drives and pick up big chunks of yardage with multiple pass interference penalties.
During the fourth quarter, veterans Josh Norman and Dontae Johnson were called for pass interference penalties on consecutive plays, which would have led to a Houston score if not for a missed field goal attempt. And during the first half, nickel corner K’Waun Williams was called for a penalty while rookie Ambry Thomas dropped a potential pick-six.
The Thomas play showed the progress the Michigan product has made over the last several weeks, but his drop cost the 49ers six points and once again highlighted his need to improve his ability to make plays on the ball.
Source: www.mercurynews.com