Trey Lance was only an observer as the 49ers downed the Eagles 17-11 in Philadelphia on Sunday. The rookie quarterback, after taking four snaps in the season opener at Detroit, took none against the Eagles.
The lack of action for the rookie is either baffling or logical depending on the lens its viewed from.
San Francisco was having a terrible time getting their run game going against a very good Eagles defensive front. They posted only 3.1 yards per carry on 38 attempts and only had two runs go for double-digit yards. Their offensive line, especially early in the game, wasn’t getting much push and too many runs were going for short gains or worse.
It stands to reason head coach Kyle Shanahan opted not to include the No. 3 overall pick in this week’s game because nothing the team had installed for him was going to work against a dominant Eagles defensive line. Putting Lance in a position to potentially make a rookie mistake in game that was within one score for most of the day wasn’t worth the risk.
On the other hand, it could be argued that throwing Lance in as a wrinkle could help slow the Eagles’ front. Perhaps moving some defenders’ eyes toward the quarterback could’ve generated enough confusion that the 49ers could’ve broken off the big play the badly needed.
It appears for now to be a risk-reward proposition for the 49ers with Lance. They’re going to play him to get him some needed development, but they won’t do it in a game where a mistake would cost them a win. Perhaps as he gets more reps in practice and in games they get more comfortable putting him in high-leverage situations. They weren’t there yet Sunday though, and Lance remained in a traditional backup role watching from the sidelines.
