December 31, 2021

  • Nick WagonerESPN Staff Writer

    Shut

    • Covered Rams for 9 years for stlouisrams.com
    • Previously covered University of Missouri football
    • Fellow member of Pro Football Writers of America

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers are still clinging to hope, withal modest it might be, that Jimmy Garoppolo will beginning at quarterback Dominicus against the Houston Texans.

Garoppolo, who is dealing with a correct thumb injury, did non practice over again Fri, which ways he did not participate in whatever of the team's iv workouts this calendar week.

The Niners are officially listing him equally doubtful for Lord's day, though coach Kyle Shanahan is not prepare nevertheless to proper name Trey Lance the starter. Lance took all the reps with the starting criminal offense in practice.

"I'thou not ready to announce that," Shanahan said. "Jimmy is not out, so I'thousand belongings out hope. He's got a take a chance this calendar week, and so he'll take a better run a risk next week."

According to Shanahan, the Niners' medical staff fabricated information technology clear that Garoppolo would accept a better gamble to heal and potentially play this calendar week the longer he held out from throwing. Then, instead of testing the injured thumb in practice, Garoppolo has been held out birthday.

The next step volition exist for Garoppolo to test the thumb on Saturday or mayhap even wait until Sunday morning.

In the meantime, all signs still point to Lance making his 2nd NFL start. Beyond getting all the starting reps in exercise, Lance was fabricated available to the media on Friday, his commencement interview session with local media since after his first against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. ten.

"Practicing with the first team this week, I don't know if Jimmy is going to exist able to go along Sunday, but for me to be able to go those reps, I call back, was huge," Lance said. "Whether I can proceed Sunday or not, I think I gained a lot from it."

In that showtime against the Cardinals, a 17-ten loss, Lance finished 15-of-29 for 192 yards and an interception for a passer rating of 58.4. He also had iv passes batted or tipped and carried 16 times for 89 yards.

Lance as well suffered a sprained left knee in that game, an injury that kept him out and prevented him from continuing to get needed reps in practice. The sprained knee came on the heels of a finger injury suffered in the preseason, both of which helped tedious Lance'due south progress.

But Lance has earned rave reviews from teammates and coaches for his recent work on the spotter team, and Shanahan said Lance had a "actually good" week this week in training for the Texans.

For his part, Lance acknowledged that if he does start Sunday, he will exist much further along than he was in Oct on multiple fronts, crediting Garoppolo and veteran Nate Sudfeld with helping him.

"It was a long time agone that I played," Lance said. "From a health standpoint, I recollect I feel probably the healthiest I've felt since I've been here. Getting more than reps, getting to encounter things like how Jimmy prepares in a curt week, things like that which would have been really hard for me as a rookie, with no vets in the room, I think those things take helped me a ton this year."

In recent weeks, Shanahan has said Lance is playing the best he has played since his arrival over the past month or then, and linebacker Fred Warner has said Lance has been "dicing upwards" the defence in practice.

"I think Trey's looked adept," tight end George Kittle said. "The terminal couple months, I remember that there's been a huge improvement. And then, everything you guys saw in campsite, I think he'southward been way better than that. He just looks more than mature in the pocket. I think I saw (linebacker) Fred Warner said that he's similar not relying on his legs to make plays and he'southward sitting in the pocket and reading it a piddling fleck more and taking a little bit more chances in the pocket, which I agree with him. ... He's definitely improved in the concluding several weeks."

With Garoppolo'southward status still uncertain, the 49ers elevated Sudfeld from the do squad to the agile roster with one of their COVID-19 replacement designations. Sudfeld volition support Lance if Garoppolo is unable to play.

Additionally, running back Elijah Mitchell is listed as questionable against the Texans after missing the past iii games with a genu injury. Shanahan said Mitchell had his best twenty-four hour period since the injury on Th and had no setback on Friday, which would indicate Mitchell should be available so long as he doesn't accept any issues earlier Sunday.

"Hopefully that volition go on all the way up to Sunday," Shanahan said. "We'll play Elijah equally much equally he can handle, and so that's near watching him, watching how his legs work, communicating with him, which is actually what [running backs coach] Bobby [Turner] does throughout the game, and when he'south tired, if he'due south going, Bobby doesn't hesitate, he puts Jeff [Wilson Jr.] in there and we accept a number of guys we can put in there."