Kyle Shanahan has made his plans known for the 49ers' preseason opener, and it appears rookie quarterback Trey Lance will play much of the first half of Saturday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi's Stadium.
Shanahan spoke to KNBR on Thursday, and indicated that his tentative plan is for Jimmy Garoppolo to play one series, with Lance getting the chance to play the rest of the first half.
"We're trying to start our starters for one series," Shanahan said on "Murph & Mac" (h/t 49ers WebZone). "You hope it's not a three and out, except on defense. On offense, you hope you can go down and score in six plays or something like that and get those guys out.
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"I'm not playing every starter but there's some starters I want to keep out for health reasons. But most of our guys, I plan on playing and we'll get them out quickly. Once they're out, I'm hoping Trey can finish out that first half. We'll see how many plays he gets and what the situations are. I'd be surprised if I play him in the third quarter.
"We'll see how the game goes and, hopefully, he'll get in a good quarter and about three-fourths of one."
RELATED: How Lance has impressed Kittle most in 49ers training camp
Lance has been making waves at 49ers training camp, dazzling those in attendance with his arm strength and ability to perform outside the pocket. By all accounts, Garoppolo also has played well day in and day out, and Shanahan has yet to indicate that a competition between the two is open.
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Given Garoppolo's injury history, limited preseason action for him seems likely, especially given the extra game added to this year's regular-season schedule.
The 49ers will play two additional preseason games after Saturday's opener before taking on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sept. 12 to begin the 17-game regular-season slate.