Trey Lance got his chance to show the San Francisco 49ers and their fans what he could do.
Instead, his preseason start on Sunday left a lot to be desired.
The quarterback went 10-of-15 for 112 yards and a touchdown during the 49ers’ preseason tilt against the Las Vegas Raiders.
While his stats may not sound too bad, it was only half of the story that saw Lance hold the ball too long, and he was saved by the fact that the Raiders dropped two sure interceptions.
One of the most miraculous plays came in the second quarter when Lance went to make a throw into the end zone that was easily read by the Raiders’ defense.
Vegas cornerback Duke Shelly looked as though he picked off the ball, but he couldn’t hold onto it and it somehow bounced into the arms of 49ers tight end Ross Dwelley.
The second near interception came a short while later when Lance let an easy-to-read pass go and rookie Amari Burney was right there to make the interception.
But, Burney couldn’t hold onto the ball and it ended up being an incomplete pass.
“I’m pulling for Trey Lance because he’s a quality young man who has had a tough start to his career,” The Athletic columnist Jim Trotter wrote on Twitter. “But he did not help himself in the first half.
“Held the ball too long, not seeing the field well. Yes, he was pressured but some of that is on him. Really hoping to see better.”
Lance was sacked four times on Sunday as well for minus-18 yards.
There were some positives for him, which included a pair of 20-plus-yard passes to Chris Conley and Troy Fumagalli.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan stuck to the plan he had indicated he would go with, by giving Lance a majority of the time in the first half and then giving former Jets quartback Sam Darnold a shot during the second half.
There are still two more weeks left in the preseason and Lance could find a bit more rhythm in those games.
The 49ers are hoping that he can avoid an injury like last season that sidelined him for the majority of the year.
San Francisco traded three first-round picks to move up in the 2021 NFL draft.
Lance, who is going into his third NFL season, has started two games and has 797 passing yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions in that span.
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