Trey Lance replaces injured Jimmy Garoppolo at QB for 49ers

A combination of poor performance and apparent injury may mean an extended look at Trey Lance as San Francisco 49ers quarterback.

Lance started the second half of Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks in place of starter Jimmy Garoppolo. The initial belief was that coach Kyle Shanahan had benched Garoppolo, but the team later announced that Garoppolo had a calf injury and was questionable to return.

The 49ers would have been justified in replacing Garoppolo based on performance. He went 14-of-23 in the first half with a touchdown and an interception. He had just 165 passing yards, averaging a paltry 7.2 yards per completion.

The Niners have been adamant about starting Garoppolo, but his season got off to a very inauspicious start. It remains to be seen how serious Garoppolo’s injury is, or how capable Lance looks. Depending on the outcome, it wouldn’t be a stunner to see this quarterback change become permanent.