Pass Protection Falters for Trey Lance in 49ers 17-0 Loss to Texans

Pass protection woes from training camp come to the light for the 49ers in their preseason finale against the Texans.

It’s over!

Finally, the preseason is over and done with.

The stars and starters on the 49ers will now be the focus of games. However, if the two-to-three drives the starters received today were any indication, there’s going to be some loose ends to tighten up.

One of those loose ends is the offensive line. Their pass protection faltered for nearly every Trey Lance drop back pass in the 49ers 17-0 loss to the Texans. It was insane to see. I couldn’t help but think about what would’ve happened if Jimmy Garoppolo or any other statue quarterbacks the 49ers have had in the past would’ve fared. They would’ve gotten taken down for sacks whereas Lance was able to buy time with his legs. 

Lance finished his day after three series with 7 completions out of 11 attempts, one carry for a yard, and 49 passing yards. Not as fascinating as his first preseason game, but he didn’t have the same pass protection. This game he spent time showing off his movement. As great of a trait that is, the 49ers do not want Lance to run for his life on every play. The pass blocking was simply unacceptable.

Now it was just a preseason game, so it’s okay to get the bad plays out of the way to see where they can get corrected. There is no better time to have porous protection than the preseason finale. It’s something the coaches can look at with the unit for the next two weeks heading into Week 1 against the Bears. Plus, Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey were not on hand for this game. The pass protection would’ve looked cleaner.

But McGlinchey does have a chance to miss Week 1 according to Kyle Shanahan and the interior offensive line is still a work in progress. Even if McGlinchey is fine by the time the regular season is here, I’m not sure he is going to remain unscathed and not miss time as he continues to recover from a torn quad and now a knee injury. If he does, the 49ers are in danger at right tackle. 

This game was a perfect showcase of some of the issues that have been cited with the offensive line. It feels like the performance of Lance and the offensive line are going to be the same season, which is a roller coaster. There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs for the season, but the hope is that playing time reduces those down moments.

All eyes now on Sept. 11 when the 49ers head to Chicago to begin their 2022 campaign.