49ers' Lance to make 1st career start vs. Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance will make his first career start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals after Jimmy Garoppolo was ruled out with a calf injury, the team announced Friday.
Lance will be without one of his top weapons after the 49ers reportedly placed star tight end George Kittle on injured reserve Saturday due to a calf injury.
The No. 3 overall pick replaced the injured Garoppolo during a Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Lance finished the game with 157 yards and two touchdowns through the air while adding 41 yards on the ground.
Garoppolo, who started San Francisco's first four games, reportedly had a chance to play in Sunday's divisional matchup but didn't practice all week.
The 49ers used Lance sparingly over the first three games of the season and primarily put him in red-zone packages. He threw one touchdown in his NFL debut and rushed for another in Week 3.
Garoppolo has completed 61.1% of his passes for 925 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions this campaign.
If Georgie Kittle doesn't play Sunday, Ross Dwelley and Charlie Woerner will be San Francisco's tight ends. Dwelley and Woerner have combined for one catch this season.
Kittle, a two-time Pro Bowler, has 19 catches for 227 yards and zero touchdowns in 2021.