As the 49ers exit their bye week and prepare to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Levi's Stadium, the question hanging over the team is the same one that has been front and center since San Francisco drafted Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in April.
Should the 49ers stick with Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021 or start the transition to Lance? Center Alex Mack discussed the 49ers' QB situation on KNBR's "Murph and Mac" on Tuesday.
"You want your best players to be healthy," Mack said. "Trey has a lot of potential, but he's young. I think with him, it's going to be can he grow up quick and be a good player if we need him. Jimmy has done it a long time, has a lot of experience, played a lot of games, and has had a lot of success."
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Garoppolo started the 49ers' first four games before exiting at halftime of San Francisco's Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks with a calf injury. Lance made his first career NFL start in Week 5, but he suffered a knee sprain in the 17-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Mack, who joined the 49ers in free agency, has been impressed with Garoppolo during his short time in the Bay Area.
"He's on it, on top of the game, really easy to communicate with," Mack said. "I think he focuses in every week on the details, knows the procedure in everything we do. Yeah, I like him, and he throws a good ball, apparently. You know, I'm a lineman. Don't talk to me about what great passing is."
The 35-year-old center liked what he saw from Lance in his first career start and knows the 49ers could have left the desert with a win had they played a more complete game as a team.
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"Trey did really well," Mack said. "For a first game, it's harder to go into a hostile environment against an undefeated team. I think he did a really good job of composure, getting the plays in, and dealing with some new stuff. And I think he played pretty well.
"I think [if] we have a couple of different plays [go our way] across the whole team, we win that game. I think, Trey, did he have a perfect game? Probably not. But I think that's asking a lot for a first start."
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So, what's the answer to one of the marquee questions of the NFL season through six weeks?
"I want the guy who's going to win games," Mack said. "I think both those guys are talented and can do it. And I think we've mixed up both of them in the game plan to have, kind of, gimmicky plays or mixed it up to keep the defense off-balance. If those two guys are playing well, we have a good chance of being good."
Garoppolo returned to practice Monday and appears to be on track to return as the starter vs. the Colts while Lance sat out practice and his status is unclear. If Lance is inactive, the 49ers will have Nate Sudfeld as the backup quarterback Sunday.