Trey Lance has been responsible for a pair of 49ers touchdowns through the first three weeks of the 2021 NFL season, but the rookie remains the backup to Jimmy Garoppolo on the depth chart.
After the 49ers' 30-28 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, NBC Sports Bay Area's 49ers analyst Donte Whitner explained why he believes Lance taking over as starter would open up the offense and put more pressure on the team's remaining opponents.
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"Put Trey Lance in the game, see what he can do, if he doesn't go back to Jimmy Garoppolo, but right now with no running game without being able to push the ball downfield, it's going to be difficult for these guys. And then that puts a lot of stress on your defense as well, because in that first half the defense was on the field, they were getting tired, they gave up a lot of points, 17 points in the first half."
Lance saw a total of three snaps in Week 3, including his first career NFL rushing touchdown.
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His other two plays included a handoff to Kyle Juszczyk and an incompletion in the end zone that was flagged for defensive holding.
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Garoppolo finished 25-40 for 257 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Week 3 was the 49ers' first loss of the season, and the calls from the fan base for Lance to take over only will grow louder with each defeat.
The 49ers take on Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, and whoever is under center will need to perform better for San Francisco to avoid falling to 2-2.