LAS VEGAS — Trey Lance’s first touchdown pass in 363 days never reached its intended receiver. Instead, it nearly got intercepted, and, eventually, it bounced into Ross Dwelley’s sure hands in the end zone.
This, of course, is a great city to have luck turn your way.
But the 49ers need Lance to be both lucky and good. Otherwise, his potential job as Brock Purdy’s backup will belong to Sam Darnold, who had a pedestrian debut after Lance’s shaky, first-half duty in Sunday’s preseason opener at the Raiders.
The 34-7 final marked the most lopsided preseason loss in coach Kyle Shanahan’s seven seasons.
The 49ers set this up to evaluate Lance under fire, and a sack-filled start was somewhat predictable behind a second-string offensive line. It was his first game since his right ankle got fractured and dislocated last Sept. 18 at Levi’s Stadium. Back then, he was QB1, a job that the 49ers have since reserved for Brock Purdy.
Purdy’s comeback from elbow surgery is on track for a Sept. 10 regular-season start at Pitttsburgh, so he did not suit up for Sunday’s game, nor did their other 21 projected starters.
With red-clad fans packed into Allegiant Stadium like the 49ers’ Jan. 1 triumph here, there wasn’t much to cheer for the “visiting” fans.
Lance got sacked four times, one of which he said he could have avoided had he thrown the ball away.
“When there’s a bunch of sacks, the O-line gets blamed too much,” Shanahan said. “… In our room, we’re always hard on our quarterbacks. You try to look through every way possible in how to not take the sack. But you don’t just avoid them by throwing picks. We’ll look at it and see what his chances were to get those off, but I though a couple he definitely couldn’t, and a couple he probably could have.”
Overall, Lance completed 10-of-15 passes for 112 yards, and had no interceptions thanks to Raiders’ defenders dropping two passes, including the touchdown throw that cornerback Duke Shelley cut off and bobbled over to Dwelley. Shanahan complimented Lance for going through his progressions before spotting his last option open, Chris Conley.
“It was a yes, yes, yes, no, yes,” Lance said of his view. “Dwelley ended up making a great play. Defense made a great play; I didn’t think (Shelley) would get to it.”
“There was an open hole. It was nice that he saw it and went for it,” Shanahan said. “I was glad he tried to rip it. There was a tight window. He could have put it more in front of him, but the guy (Shelley) made a good play on it, and it ended up working out for us.”
Darnold relieved Lance after halftime and delivered a couple of impressive completions to get the 49ers into Raiders territory. That drive ended when Darnold got stopped on a fourth-and-1 sneak, behind third-string center Keith Ismael.
Shanahan commended Darnold for doing “a great job” among the backup-laden crew, most of whom won’t make the roster next month. “We want to be careful with Sam for that reason, but we also want him to play, too,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully Sam will get a little more time next (Saturday vs. Denver).”
“I feel I managed things well,” said Darnold, formerly of the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers. “As a team, we just need to play better. As an offense, we need to operate a little bit better. You put a lot of that on yourself as a quarterback.”
Sunday began with Lance’s rough re-entry into NFL action — three sacks, no first downs in three series — before that touchdown pinball to Dwelley provided points.
Lance looked uncomfortable from the outset. He got stood up in the pocket and sacked on the game’s first snap, courtesy of right guard Nick Zakelj getting overpowered. The Raiders’ bombardment continued series after series, to which Lance attributed to “just miscommunication, guys on different pages.”
“That was definitely frustrating,” Lance added, “but I obviously put it on myself, to continue to get better and make sure guys are ready to go.”
As lucky as Lance’s touchdown pass was, his previous toss showed the play-making ability that got him drafted No. 3 overall in 2021. On that pass, he darted six paces up from the pocket before a last-second flip to Willie Snead for a 12-yard gain.
“It was all improvised once I got out of the pocket,” Lance said. “Willie made a great play keeping his eyes on me and continuing to work for me.”
More quality passes followed — two-minute-drill completions to Chris Conley and Troy Fumagalli — but those came after another near-interception, with linebacker Amari Burney anticipating then dropping Lance’s over-the-middle throw.
Darnold seemed to play with more control but was snake-bit along the way. He was stopped on a fourth-and-1 sneak, and Darnold’s other drives ended with rookie Cameron Latu fumbling a reception and rookie Jake Moody missing a 58-yard field goal.
Darnold’s day was done by early in the fourth quarter, having completed 5-of-8 passes for 84 yards. He was not sacked; he wisely rolled out to avoid one pressure before throwing away the ball.
Brandon Allen relieved Darnold and, on his first pass, he fired a 20-yard strike that went through Bell’s hands for an interception that Sam Webb returned to the 2-yard line. The Raiders scored on the next play for a 34-7 lead.
After the game, Allen headed for an overnight flight to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where his wife, Sarah, is slated to give birth Monday morning to the couple’s second son; their first-born, Oakland, is 3. “I’ll try to get back for Thursday’s practice, if everything goes smoothly, then be ready for the next game,” Allen said.
Other observations from the preseason opener:
— Isaiah Oliver, signed this offseason to replace Jimmie Ward at nickel back, was essentially the only starter who suited up, and he allowed a 9-yard touchdown pass 34 seconds before halftime. That nickel role is vastly important, for it could expose a weak link that quarterbacks will exploit against a fierce pass rush, with the slot receiver often being the closest target to unload the ball.
— Moody, a third-round draft pick, did not make a great first impression. He missed wide left on a 40-yard field goal try as the first half expired, and he pushed a 58-yard try wide right in the fourth quarter. “A lot of good learning experiences in a first game,” Moody said. “I’ve already washed it. I was hoping for one more (attempt) to prove those were flukes.” Shanahan expressed confidence in the rookie, citing his stellar work in practice and acknowledging the pressure from so much attention.
— Clelin Ferrell, a 2019 first-round pick of the Raiders, made a tackle for no gain on the first defensive series, and he came through with a sack against Aidan O’Connell, the Raiders’ starting quarterback in place of ex-49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who suited up but did not play. Ferrell, Lance and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles served as the 49ers’ captains.
— Latu not only fumbled a third-quarter reception, but he committed two penalties.
— Ty Davis-Price had a team-high nine carries (32 yards) and Jordan Mason had five carries (17 yards). Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell (adductor) did not suit up.
— The 49ers return home after a five-night residency in Las Vegas. Their remaining two preseason games are at Levi’s Stadium: Aug. 19 against the Denver Broncos (5:30 p.m.), Aug. 25 against the Los Angeles Chargers (7 p.m.).
— O’Connell completed 15-of-18 passes for 141 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions before the Raiders relieved him with Cal product Chase Garbers.
