3 Takeaways from 49ers’ Week 1 Win

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Duane Burleson/Associated Press

The San Francisco 49ers received their first test of the 2021 season Sunday. They battled the Detroit Lions at Ford Field and came away with a 41-33 victory.

While the final score was not indicative of a blowout, San Francisco was in firm control for most of the contest. A late Detroit surge turned a 41-17 cruise into a 41-33 finish, but at no point did the Lions threaten the Niners’ supremacy.

The 49ers are 1-0 to start the season, but more importantly, they appear on track to again challenge in the NFC. Here are three things we learned about San Francisco during its opening-week win.

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Lon Horwedel/Associated Press

When the 49ers traded up before April’s draft to secure the No. 3 pick, it was easy to assume that Jimmy Garoppolo’s tenure as the starting quarterback was nearing its end. It isn’t. Garoppolo remains in charge of the offense (more on that shortly), but San Francisco is willing to get rookie Trey Lance on the field.

Lance opened the scoring with a five-yard touchdown strike to Trent Sherfield late in the first quarter. It was Lance’s only pass of the day, but he also ran three times in a change-of-pace role.

It’s clear that the 49ers will utilize Lance’s threat moving forward. Garoppolo, meanwhile, will remain the starter, and the two-QB system will keep opposing defenses off balance.

“Teams have not fully caught up to it yet, and most do not possess the defensive bulk on their roster to do so this year,” Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated wrote.

Lance didn’t see a ton of action against Detroit, but the Lions were forced to respect his presence for all four quarters.

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Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Lance is the 49ers’ future at quarterback, and fans got a few brief glimpses of what is to come Sunday. However, San Francisco also made it clear that the future can wait.

Healthy again—he’s missed 23 games over the past three seasons—Garoppolo was fantastic for the 49ers in the opener. He finished 17-of-25 for 314 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, he consistently stretched the field and forced Detroit to respect the pass.

The 49ers are going to be a running team under Kyle Shanahan. Elijah Mitchell rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on 19 caries. Teams hoping to key in on the run against San Francisco will struggle, though, because Garoppolo can and will move the ball through the air.

While the threat of using two quarterbacks is real, it’s a luxury rather than a necessity. Garoppolo has led the 49ers to the Super Bowl before. He showed Sunday why Shanahan and Co. are not in a rush to pull him from the starting lineup.

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Lon Horwedel/Associated Press

Garoppolo helped lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl two years ago, but it was San Francisco’s defense that paved the way. The 2019 Niners ranked second in total defense and eighth in points allowed. Unfortunately, the 2021 edition isn’t going to be quite as dominant.

San Francisco’s defense failed late, which allowed the Lions to make things interesting. Jared Goff threw an interception but also passed for three touchdowns and 338 yards. Jamaal Williams averaged six yards per carry.

To make matters worse, starting cornerback Jason Verrett is likely out for the year with a torn ACL.

The 49ers won’t be able to lean on their defense quite like they did two years ago. Goff and the Lions showed that, even if it was too little and too late Sunday.