Garoppolo to remain starter, Lance on track to practice
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance is on pace to practice Wednesday but Jimmy Garoppolo will remain the starter for Week 8, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
Lance started in Week 5 with Garoppolo injured but missed Sunday night's game against the Indianapolis Colts due to a knee injury. Garoppolo struggled against the Colts in a rain-filled contest, finishing with a season-low 60.9 passer rating and one touchdown to two interceptions.
Shanahan was asked if Garoppolo will continue to start following the 30-18 loss to Indianapolis and initially said he'd "guess so." However, he clarified Monday that the veteran was never in serious jeopardy of losing his starting role.
"That was not a game where if Jimmy has one bad game, Jimmy loses his job," Shanahan said, according to Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury. "We know Trey is the future here. He's coming off a pretty big injury. We'll do all we can to help him prepare if he needs to come in."
The 49ers have used Lance in a situational role in addition to his lone start, with the rookie totaling three passing touchdowns to one interception. Meanwhile, Garoppolo is 2-3 as a starter this season with six touchdowns to four interceptions.
San Francisco is 2-4 and in the midst of a four-game losing streak.