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Analyst: 49ers could go with Jimmy Garoppolo 'a few weeks from now'

Sep 11, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) drops back to pass against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

Analyst: 49ers could go from Trey Lance to Jimmy Garoppolo 'a few weeks from now'

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 9/13/22

One of the biggest stories coming off the opening week of the 2022 NFL regular season was the play of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, who replaced Jimmy Garoppolo atop his team's depth chart this summer and then endured a Sunday to forget against the Chicago Bears at a rain-soaked Soldier Field.

Lance completed 13-of-28 passes for 164 yards with no touchdowns and a costly fourth-quarter interception, and his performance had more than a few people wondering if head coach Kyle Shanahan was having second thoughts about sitting Garoppolo for this coming Sunday's home opener against the 1-0 Seattle Seahawks.

Hall of Famer and 49ers legend Jerry Rice encouraged fans during a Monday radio appearance to have some patience regarding Lance's continuing development. For a piece published Tuesday, former quarterback and current NFL Network personality David Carr offered a similar opinion.

"The 49ers walked into a doomsday scenario: a Week 1 road game in a swimming pool," Carr noted. "We saw glimpses of Kyle Shanahan's brilliance with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in Sunday's loss, but not having George Kittle, losing Elijah Mitchell to a knee injury (he's expected to be out for at least eight weeks), and playing with an inexperienced QB in Trey Lance was tough to overcome against an opportunistic Bears team hungry to show it's not the worst in the league."

Carr reminded everyone how difficult it can be for any signal-caller to perform in monsoon-like conditions:

Officially dubbing this "The Rain Game" pic.twitter.com/MjDgaXxJ6g
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 13, 2022

"I'd challenge anyone to go to their local sporting goods store, buy a football, place it under a garden hose and then try to throw it ... anywhere. It's tough," Carr said.

Hall of Famer and "Monday Night Football" analyst Troy Aikman recently pointed out that the 49ers are "built to win right now" and, thus, can't wait too long for Lance to flip a figurative switch. Carr somewhat echoed that take and certainly didn't close the door on Shanahan potentially turning to Garoppolo ahead of Halloween.

"Lance had some tough moments in Sunday's loss, but the next few weeks will give us a better picture of what this offense is going to look like," Carr continued. "If Lance is inaccurate and missing his reads and the offense is stalling a few weeks from now, then we might start discussing the possibility of turning back the clock to Jimmy Garoppolo."

One thing that's clear is that calls for Garoppolo to go back under center will only get louder if the 49ers are 0-2 by the time the next edition of "Sunday Night Football" gets underway.

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