Trey Lance didn’t throw an interception in his preseason debut vs. the Raiders. Maybe it would be good for him if he did toss one vs. the Broncos on Saturday.
That’s not to say he should throw one on purpose or that he should be throwing with reckless abandon. However, a pick or two might indicate some growth from the QB where he’s seeing a window and letting the ball fly.
He did not let it fly against the Raiders and it led to a couple of the four sacks he took and an ultimately disjointed offensive effort that culminated in only seven first-half points.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game praised one of the QB’s two near interceptions. It was the touchdown pass where he rolled left, set his feet and fired to wide receiver Chris Conley in the middle of the end zone. The ball placement wasn’t perfect and a Raiders defensive back should’ve hauled it in for a pick while flashing across the middle. His drop landed in the hands of 49ers tight end Ross Dwelley for the kind of touchdown that only happens in the preseason. It looked like a bad play by the QB, but Shanahan after the game said he liked that Lance didn’t hesitate when the window opened.
He reiterated that in a conference call with reporters the day after the game.
“Usually when a middle third player cuts a route, someone’s vacated in the middle third and that corner was hesitant to get there, and so Trey didn’t see him and he let it rip,” Shanahan said about the near-INT-turned-touchdown. “And those are things I want to see more of them, not picks and bad decisions, but just playing a little bit faster, a little bit more aggressive. And I think that was one that he did that on but also the other ones that I mentioned, that weren’t just lucky they ended up being good.”
Playing faster is going to be the key for Lance if he wants to win the quarterback battle. Ideally that will lead to a more productive offense where he’s making throws into tight windows and not taking sacks. If on Saturday though a defender makes a good play or the ball placement isn’t perfect, Shanahan will live with the result as long as Lance is making the correct read and letting it rip without hesitation.
