The 49ers neither rose nor fell in the USA TODAY Sports power rankings following their Week 2 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. They remain at No. 11 looking up at two of their three division foes.
What’s interesting is San Francisco’s quarterback play appears to be what’s holding them back from climbing above the 11th spot they fell to after their first win of the year.
USA TODAY’s Nate Davis wrote all about Trey Lance’s playing time when assessing why the 49ers stood pat:
Rookie QB Trey Lance went from four snaps in Week 1 to none Sunday. Advantage Jimmy Garoppolo? Or is coach Kyle Shanahan keeping something under wraps for Sunday night’s home opener against Green Bay?
This implies that Lance is somehow vying for the starting quarterback job, which isn’t the case. However, saving something for Green Bay would make a lot of sense after putting four plays on tape against the Lions.
The Packers’ defensive line doesn’t have a sack through two games and doesn’t bring the deep, very good rotation like Philadelphia does. It stands to reason Lance could get on the field more against Green Bay where he has time to make reads and is less liable to make a game-swinging mistake.
Should Lance play and generate an explosive play or two in a 49ers win, it might just be enough to lift the 49ers up out of the No. 11 spot. On the other hand, if he doesn’t play and Garoppolo puts together the kind of game he had in Week 1, it’s hard to imagine San Francisco won’t finally climb into the top 10.