Opener may offer respite from tough preseason

First, Trey Lance had a topsy-turvy training camp.

And then the San Francisco 49ers lessened his starting-job security by retaining his predecessor, Jimmy Garoppolo. And that move inspired the media to predict when he would be benched (NBC’s Peter King: After six games).

And then Lance wasn’t among the six team captains the players elected, creating more chatter about how much (little?) confidence he had inspired. And then one of Lance’s top targets, All-Pro tight end George Kittle, suffered a groin injury Monday that kept him from practicing during the week and made him questionable for the season opener in Chicago on Sunday.

When it rains and pours? Oh, right, that’s a reminder: The game-day forecast in the Windy City includes precipitation, about a half-inch during the day. How are you with throwing a slick ball, Trey?

“I haven’t played in a ton of rain games,” Lance said.

Yes, it appears circumstances might have ramped up the pressure, increased the scrutiny and generally made Lance’s already difficult task harder before he becomes the youngest quarterback in franchise history (22 years, 125 days) to start a season opener.

A bit of good news as he attempts to become the fifth quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his second season? He gets to begin his arduous assignment by playing the Bears.

Sure, on any given Sunday and all that stuff, but Lance’s first test of 2022 could be a multiple-choice, open-book exam. Chicago went 6-11 last year, ranked 22nd in points allowed and traded its best defensive player, All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack, to the Chargers in March.

The Bears have a rookie head coach, Matt Eberflus. A rookie

San Francisco QB Trey Lance had a turbulent training camp, and he will have additional challenges to face, possibly including some wet weather, in the Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears.

2022 SEASON OPENER

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“A young guy, he definitely has a strong arm. He can hurt us in the run game, but he’s still got to prove himself to me.”