6:41 PM
The San Francisco 49ers are still hopeful that Jimmy Garoppolo will start at quarterback on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
Garoppolo, who is dealing with a thumb injury, did not participate in any of the team's workouts this week.
The Niners are not ready to name a starter for Sunday, but they are officially listing him as doubtful. Lance took all the reps with the starting offense.
"I'm not ready to announce that," he said. I'm holding out hope that Jimmy is still alive. He has a chance this week, so he will have a better chance next week.
The Niners' medical staff made it clear that Garoppolo would have a better chance to heal and play this week if he threw. Garoppolo has been held out of practice because of his injured thumb.
Garoppolo will have to test his thumb on Saturday or Sunday.
Lance is expected to make his second NFL start. Lance was available to the media on Friday, his first interview session with local media since his start against the Arizona Cardinals.
Lance was able to get some reps with the first team this week, even though he didn't know if Jimmy would be able to go on Sunday. I gained a lot from it, even if I can't go on Sunday.
Lance was 15-of-28 for 192 yards and an pick in the 17-10 loss to the Cards. He carried 16 times for 89 yards and had four passes tipped or batted.
Lance was unable to continue to get needed reps in practice because of a left knee injury he sustained in that game. Lance's progress was slowed by both the finger injury he suffered in the preseason and the sprained knee.
Lance has earned rave reviews from teammates and coaches for his recent work on the scout team, and this week he had a "really good" week in preparation for the Texans.
Lance said that if he starts Sunday, he will be much further along than he was in October, thanks to Garoppolo and other people.
Lance said that he played a long time ago. I think I've felt the healthiest I've felt since I've been here. Getting more reps, getting to see things like how Jimmy prepares in a short week, things that would have been hard for me as a rookies, have helped me a lot this year.
In recent weeks, Lance has been praised by both Fred Warner and the coaching staff for his play, and they have both said that he has been "dicing up" the defense in practice.
George Kittle said that he thought that Trey's looked good. I think there's been a huge improvement over the last couple months. I think he's been better than what you saw. He looks more mature in the pocket. I agree with Fred Warner that he's not relying on his legs to make plays and he's sitting in the pocket and taking a few more chances. He's definitely improved over the last few weeks.
With Garoppolo's status still uncertain, the 49ers elevated Sudfeld from the practice squad to the active roster with one of their COVID-19 replacement designation. If Garoppolo can't play, Lance will be back up.
Running back Elijah Mitchell is questionable for the Texans after missing the past three games with a knee injury. Mitchell had his best day since the injury on Thursday and had no setbacks on Friday, which is good news for him as he doesn't have any issues before Sunday.
"Hopefully that will continue all the way up to Sunday," he said. "We'll play as much as he can handle, so that's about watching him, watching how his legs work, communicating with him, which is really what Bobby Turner does throughout the game, and when he does."
