On Sunday, the undefeated Arizona Cardinals welcome another division rival, the San Francisco 49ers, to the desert. The 2-2 Niners head to Arizona still uncertain of who will be leading the team. Starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to miss time due to a calf injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has refused to rule Garoppolo out, but uncertainty at quarterback bodes well for Arizona’s defense. With the rookie quarterback the likely starter on Sunday, San Francisco’s offense may need to adapt under Trey Lance to suit his talents and inadequacies in what would be his first start in the NFL.
Arizona Cardinals Can Contain San Francisco 49ers Offense Under Trey Lance
First Look at Offense Under Trey Lance Versus Seattle
Lance looked like a rookie quarterback against the Seattle Seahawks. His indecisiveness in his reads was indicative of his inexperience in the NFL. He held the ball too long on most occasions, severely affecting the quality of his delivery. Lance’s delayed release often led to erratic, pressured throws that, while demonstrating some notable arm strength, lacked mechanical consistency and subsequently caused inaccuracy. He delivered the ball with an anxious velocity throughout the game, and a 50% completion percentage was illustrative of Lance’s hit and miss performance as a passer against Seattle.
Lance did, however, demonstrate some of the talents that saw him drafted third overall this year. His indecisiveness was buoyed only by his athletic talent, which allowed Lance to extend plays behind the line of scrimmage. His elusiveness in the pocket and willingness to get vertical and create yardage made Lance anything but a simple sack for Seattle’s defense. He looked jittery when evading pressure, and his ball was severely lacking when getting it out. Yet Lance did demonstrate effectiveness in avoiding oncoming defenders and a desire to make plays downfield.
Thrown into a difficult position, it is unsurprising that Lance struggled against the Seahawks. His inexperience was evident, but his talent was there too. Ultimately, Lance offered a rookie-like performance against Seattle.
Offense Under Trey Lance the Same, but Different
Despite the archetypical differences between Garoppolo and Lance, Shanahan’s offense looked similar with Lance in at quarterback. The scheme is predicated on pre-snap motion, followed by the quick passes characteristic of Shanahan’s West Coast-inspired system. San Francisco’s versatile usage of tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk also contributes to their deployment of heavier offensive personnel groupings; San Francisco currently leads the NFL in percentage usage of 12 personnel. Under Lance, these groupings offer easier throws and added protection upfront.
However, Lance’s ability as a dual-threat quarterback adds a whole new dimension to this offensive scheme. Shanahan has already used Lance to run the read-option, even when Garoppolo has been healthy. That will continue. Lance is a runner more in the vein of a Lamar Jackson than a Kyler Murray; he is a vertical threat rather than a lateral playmaker. Therein, Shanahan will likely employ a range of option plays, such as the power read and outside zone read, to unlock running lanes for his quarterback; pre-snap motion already contributes to San Francisco’s lateral game.
Lance May Limit Effectiveness of West Coast Scheme Against Arizona
Trey Lance is a promising talent, but at this stage of his young career, he is somewhat of a limitation on the effectiveness of San Francisco’s offense. With explosive RAC receivers like Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, Garoppolo’s ability to deliver the ball quickly and accurately inside has proved fruitful for Shanahan and his offense. Against Seattle, Lance’s indecisiveness and inaccuracy somewhat stalled the dynamism of San Francisco’s short game.
Shanahan adapted to Lance’s accuracy issues by incorporating some more static, turn-around routes into his scheme. Curls and hitches provided easier targets for his quarterback. However, Arizona’s predominantly man coverage scheme doesn’t afford San Francisco’s receivers the space to be dynamic on these kinds of routes.
Shanahan’s ground game has proved effective against Arizona in the past, and their run defense has been lacking somewhat in recent weeks. Therefore, San Francisco may lean heavily on the run game to create offense. This takes some responsibility off the shoulders of Lance, although he will still play a role on the ground. The Cardinals have to contain the run game early and force the 49ers to throw the ball, where Lance’s deficiencies will dampen the most dynamic component of Shanahan’s short game.
Lance scouts as a talent far beyond the abilities of a Garoppolo. In time, he will make San Francisco’s offense a multi-faceted attack. However, at this stage, Garoppolo’s efficiency in running Shanahan’s offense poses much more of a threat to Arizona’s defense. If Garoppolo can’t go, then Arizona’s ability to shut down the run, forcing the ball into Lance’s hands, projects to be a successful gameplan in Week 5.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
