How the 49ers Should Use Trey Lance Against the Houston Texans
Nothing is official yet, but it seems highly unlikely Jimmy Garoppolo will play this Sunday against the Houston Texans.
Which means Trey Lance could make his first start and throw his first pass since Week 5, when he started against the Arizona Cardinals and lost 17-10. In that game, Lance outplayed Kyler Murray, and the 49ers outgained the Cardinals. Unfortunately for the 49ers, four failed fourth down conversions by the offense doomed them.
Also, the 49ers used Lance in an odd way during that game. He handed off just 11 times and ran the ball 16 times himself -- he essentially was the running back and the quarterback, and he accounted for the vast majority of the 49ers offense. Part of this was because Jef Wilson Jr. was out and Elijah Mitchell was coming off an injury. Another reason for Lance's peculiar usage was that he had broken a finger on his throwing hand during the preseason and it handn't fully healed yet. So they basically made him a Wildcat quarterback and didn't let him run the 49ers base offense.
This time, Lance's finger is 100 percent healed, and both Wilson Jr. and Mitchell should be healthy. Which means the 49ers should use Lance differently than they did Week 5.
They should let him run their offense now. They should put him under center, and let him hand off 40 times, which is the 49ers' formula for success, and when he passes, he can throw play-action passes and take shots down field, unlike Garoppolo. Plus, Lance can avoid pressure and scramble, unlike Garoppolo.
The 49ers won't need to call more than a couple designed runs for Lance to beat the Texans.
All they have to do is let him play quarterback.
