Tonight is a bittersweet moment for the San Francisco 49ers and their fans. As they celebrate their dominant win against the Seattle Seahawks, many if not all will be crestfallen about the worst possible news they could receive tonight: Trey Lance, the 49ers starting quarterback, is out for the rest of the season.
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Lance’s injury came about very early in the game, during the first quarter. With 2:20 left to go, two Seahawks defenders halted his attempt to carry the ball. He landed awkwardly, his ankle folding under his thigh. Seconds later, the QB was helped to his feet by a teammate but crumbled to the ground in pain. They then carried him off the field on a crash cart, with Jimmy Garoppolo taking his place.
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 11, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) passes the ball in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Niners Head Coach Kyle Shahanan broke the news about Lance’s injury during the post-match press conference. Per Shahanan, Lance will undergo surgery, which will see him out for the entire season. “We’re really hurting for him. We were really hoping to see a lot of him this year. So to have that bad of an injury to where you can’t come back from it, you feel for him. But if anyone can do it, it’s him.”
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Fans React to Trey Lance’s season-ending injury:
Soon after the injury and the announcement, the Twitter windmills started spinning yet again. While many fans of the 49ers and others sympathize with Lance and wish him a speedy recovery, it did not take long for the memes to come out about Jimmy Garoppolo’s return.
Oh no Trey! Damn hate to see injuries! This is why you keep Jimmy.
Thinking of you @treylance09 🙏 wishing you a speedy recovery.
#SEAvsSF @DignityHealth injury update: QB Trey Lance (ankle) is out for the remainder of the game.
Jimmy Garopollo was the starting QB for the 49ers last season. With shoulder surgery hampering his transfer attempts, he re-signed with the franchise on a reduced salary. Most importantly, he agreed to play second fiddle to Trey Lance. Tonight’s unfortunate incident paved the way for Garoppolo to make his season debut this year, with a touchdown to cap his 13/21 completed passes for 154 yards.
Twitter quickly called his return to the team “Inevitable”, like some kind of purple Mad Titan looking for the Infinity Stones.
The Jimmy G era has re started.
Jimmy Garoppolo has an odd history of coming in as a backup against the Seahawks and thriving
Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco
And we’re back to Jimmy G
Some in the Twitter community aren’t impressed at Trey’s sudden injury, and naturally, resorted to mocking him for having such an unfortunate incident.
It’s okay his replacement it better
Trey Lance broken leg 2 weeks into his career but bet you Kirk Cousins gets powerbombed by Jordan Davis tomorrow and gets up like nothing happened 💯
So what comes next for Trey Lance and the San Francisco 49ers?
The Niners have evidently skirted a landmine, with their retention of Jimmy Garoppolo coming in clutch tonight. Jimmy G is all set to take on starting QB duties, and there is no doubt that the veteran will face a crucial test in their game against a staunch Broncos defense. A defense that has successfully stopped their two opponents from scoring past 17 points.
USA Today via Reuters
September 18, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) passes the football against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
According to Fox sports’ Dr. Matt Provencher, rehab will be tough for Lance, and he will most likely need “plates and screws to stabilize his ankle joint”. But there will not be a steep fall in his performance when he does return to the team. Dr. Provencher also predicts that the QB may not be out of the season completely, expecting him to possibly make a late comeback if his rehabilitation goes well.
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But all speculations and all news only point to one thing: if Garoppolo’s return was inevitable, so is Lance’s. All we need to wait patiently for is when it will happen, and hopefully, he will stay for far longer.