49ers having Trey Lance mimic Aaron Rodgers during practices ahead of showdown with Packers

San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo carried a Grade 3 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb and a chipped bone into the playoffs. The 49ers won this past Sunday's game at the Dallas Cowboys at a price, as Garoppolo suffered a "slight" sprain to his right (throwing) shoulder in the second quarter of that victory. 

By all accounts, Garoppolo plans to be under center for the upcoming Saturday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers, which would leave rookie Trey Lance relegated to backup duties at Lambeau Field. That doesn't, however, mean Lance is a spectator during midweek preparations. 

Per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is having Lance mimic Green Bay quarterback and reigning Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers in practices. 

"We need Trey to be very aggressive, let it rip," Shanahan explained. "Hopefully if he does make some mistakes in practice, our defense will catch it and make him pay. But we need him to be aggressive in everything he does because Aaron doesn't miss many of those opportunities when they're presented to him."

As San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner said, asking an unproven first-year pro to imitate arguably the best quarterback in the game today who already has a spot in the Hall of Fame reserved is "a tall task" at any point, let alone during the postseason. 

"It's one of those situations where you don't really feel Aaron Rodgers until you're out there against the man himself," Warner added about the betting favorite to win MVP honors for the 2021 regular season. "You can watch all the tape you want, think you've got him figured out. But you've got into the game and get into the flow of things to really get things going."

When these teams last met in Week 3 on Sept. 26, Rodgers guided his offense down the field in under 37 seconds for what became a game-winning field goal. Lance may one day produce similar heroics for the 49ers, but he'll likely be watching from the sideline on Saturday night unless things go horribly wrong for Garoppolo.