This was supposed to be the season that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, who was named the starter for the first time in his career, was supposed to cement his status as the franchise quarterback of the future.
But Lance broke his right ankle with 2:20 to go in the first quarter of Sunday’s 27-7 win against the Seattle Seahawks and will now need to undergo season-ending surgery that will close out his 2022 campaign after only 5 full quarters of play.
49ers veteran quarterback Jimmy Garopplo, who was the former starter and was nearly traded this offseason, takes over for Lance, and took over for him following his exit from Sunday’s game.
“It’s always tough, especially when it’s a big one like that,” Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “You feel for someone so bad. It’s sad but you don’t have time to sit there and think about it. You’ve got to get right back to the game, and the guys did a real good job of that. I’m really happy about the win, but it’s a little somber once you get in the locker room.”
“You can tell when injuries like that happen right away and they bring the stabilizing stuff out and the cart out,” 49ers tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “It’s a haunting moment for anybody that’s on the football field, and it can happen to anybody. Unfortunately, it happened to him on that play and we’re praying for him and hope he just gets better.”
“Any time a guy gets hurt I wish I could call [a different play],” Shanahan said. “But that’s something we were going to do and something we were going to continue to do. It’s a football play we believe in and something that gives him a chance to be successful in this league.”
Garoppolo finished 13-of-21 for 154 yards and a touchdown and a rushing touchdown as well.
“It was more just about getting the shoulder ready,” Garoppolo said. “Mentally, I knew the scheme. Some of the new plays took a little while to learn, there’s always some new wrinkles in the offense, but for the most part it was just, ‘Once my shoulder was good, I was ready to roll.'”
“It felt good to be back out there,” Garoppolo said. “I felt terrible for Trey. I’ve been on that side in this league. It’s tough. Every person has their share of injuries. But that sucks for him and I feel bad for him, but he’s our brother and we’ll pick him up.”
