Kyle Shanahan 'Never Got That Urge' to Play Trey Lance in 49ers' Win over Eagles

While rookie quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Mac Jones all saw significant playing time in Week 2, San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Trey Lance did not join them.

Instead, Jimmy Garoppolo played the entire game for San Francisco and led his team to a 17-11 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

"No, I never have a plan that 'Hey, I'm going to use him or I'm not going to use him,'" head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters. "It's been two games and I've never had him in the openers and I've never had him as a designated time. I plan on doing that week-to-week and whenever I feel like putting him in. You saw when I did in Week 1 and I never got that urge in Week 2."

Lance played four snaps in San Francisco's 41-33 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 1 and even threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield in his only throw of the game. The stage seemed set for him to see more playing time in his second game, but Shanahan elected to keep the veteran in during a close contest.

While Lawrence, Wilson and Jones all started and played the entire game for their teams and Fields rotated in even before Andy Dalton suffered an injury, there is also a difference regarding Lance's situation compared to those of the other rookies.

San Francisco is just one season removed from a Super Bowl appearance that happened with Garoppolo under center. It is a realistic contender in 2021, that of which same cannot be said for Lawrence's Jacksonville Jaguars, Wilson's New York Jets or Fields' Chicago Bears.

Even the Patriots with Jones are likely some time away from threatening to make the Super Bowl.

Those other rookies also started at least eight games in college last season, while Lance appeared in just one for North Dakota State. That could lead to additional growing pains, and Shanahan apparently wasn't looking for that during a competitive game with the Eagles.

Lance will surely be the quarterback of the future in San Francisco with Garoppolo under contract through just the 2022 campaign, but that future was on hold during the team's second game of the year.

Next up is a date with the Green Bay Packers as Shanahan continues to employ his "week-by-week" approach to the quarterback situation.