Trey Lance fractured his right ankle in the first quarter of the 49ers’ home-opening win over the Seahawks, and the upstart quarterback required a cart to take him into the locker room for further evaluation.
Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed after the game that Lance had broken his ankle and would require season-ending surgery.
The 49ers’ medical staff appeared to place an air cast on Lance’s leg following a collision with linebacker Cody Barton.
Lance, making only his fourth career start, was injured when his right leg got trapped under him while he was tackled on a 2-yard zone-read keeper to the Seattle Seahawks’ 19-yard line.
Lance was initially helped up by center Jake Brendel before going back down to the turf, writhing in pain and staying on the ground for several minutes. Players on both teams took a knee on the field while the medical staff tended to Lance.
Jimmy Garoppolo immediately took over his old job, the one he held (when healthy) from December 2017 up until last season’s NFC Championship Game. Garoppolo was hit hard on his initial snap, which was a 4-yard completion on third-and-6 to Brandon Aiyuk.
All this unfolded on the 49ers’ second series of the game, which ended with Robbie Gould kicking a field goal, just as he did on the opening possession.
The 49ers’ opening drive was sparked by runs by from a trio of ballcarriers (Lance, Jeff Wilson Jr., Ty Davis-Price) as well as a 25-yard catch-and-run from Brandon Aiyuk that breached Seattle territory.
Ty Davis-Price showed nice burst on the opening carries of his career, starting with a 4-yard effort before his 20-yard encore reached the 7-yard line. Wilson got the start, and he rotated back in as the third-down back near the goal line to make a 5-yard catch before Gould’s kick.
On that opening drive, Lance had a pair of runs.
Lance did not slide on any of his three power-type runs this game, nor on any of his 13 carries in Sunday’s opener at Chicago.
