Trey Lance plays Aaron Rodgers, not Jimmy Garoppolo

Jimmy Garoppolo is clearly in pain.

When asked on Tuesday whether an injured right thumb or a sprained right shoulder bothered him more, the 49ers’ quarterback essentially opted to plead with Fifth.

“Uh, yes,” Garoppolo replied. “I do not know the answer. They are pretty close. ”

As Garoppolo tackles multiple issues, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan will be cautious at least so rookie Trey Lance is prepared to take his place if the midfielder’s condition worsens. in Saturday’s Group Stage game against the Green Bay Packers.

Instead of preparing to replace Garoppolo, Lance spent the week giving his best impression of Aaron Rodgers.

Serious.

Shanahan said: “Aaron does a great job of not making bad decisions and not overturning the ball. “But he also made all the plays down the field wherever you were just a hair. So we need Trey to be very aggressive, let it rip. We need him to be aggressive in everything he does because Aaron doesn’t miss many of those opportunities.”

The 49ers have asked Lance to face their first-team defense in practice this week in the hopes that his rocket arm and play extension in the pocket helps the unit know what they’ll see. from Rodgers, the MVP favorite, on Saturday.

It’s unrealistic to expect Lance to emulate all that Rodgers can do in midfield, but the 49ers’ defense is appreciating the rookie’s efforts.

“It’s one of those situations where you don’t really feel Aaron Rodgers until you’re out playing against the same man,” said full-back Fred Warner. “You can watch all the tapes you want, thinking you’ve found him. But you got into the game and got into the flow of things to really make things go well. ”

Lance spent most of the lead until Week 17 with the 49ers’ starting foul as Garoppolo’s thumb injury kept him out of full practice, but after Garoppolo played and led Leading San Francisco to a comeback win over the Rams, the 49ers returned the rookie signal caller to his behind-the-scenes role as defender on the scouting team he played for years.

The 49ers will one day have Lance as himself, but for most of his rookie season he emulated opposing midfielders in practice, which earned him the respect of his teammates. important, who know that this role is not exactly desirable.

“Trey has always done well since I came here and gave us a look,” said cross-country runner Charles Omenihu. “I knew Trey before coming here, so I have always had a lot of respect for him. He is doing unseen work as a top pick without any complaints. ”

Rodgers excelled in a 30-28 Week 3 win over the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, completing 23 of 33 attempts for 261 yards and two touchdowns. His top target, Palo Alto High’s Davante Adams product, caught 12 132-yard passes and one touchdown after burning the 49ers in 10 receptions, 173 yards and one touchdown in Green Bay’s 34-17 victory at Levi’s Stadium in 2020.