49ers quarterback Trey Lance is approaching Thursday night's dismal loss to the Houston Texans in the best way possible -- he's going to learn from it, then quickly put it in the rearview mirror and move on.
The 49ers looked out of sorts during their 17-0 loss to the Texans, which came on a short week with most of their starters on defense on the sidelines. But, as is the case with any preseason game, there were plenty of valuable opportunities for the team's younger players, with some of those going to Lance as he prepares to open his first full season as the 49ers' starting quarterback.
Lance played three drives for the 49ers and finished with 49 yards on 7-of-11 passing. He faced some pressure behind an offensive line that was playing without starting tackles Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey and wasn't able to establish a rhythm during his brief time in the game. Lance spoke to reporters after the game and admitted that what took place on the field wasn't easy on the eyes, but he's not going to dwell on it and will take what he can from the game to improve.
"Somes ups and downs for sure," Lance said. "It never feels good to lose, but we'll learn from it, turn the page -- not going to make a bigger deal out of it than we need to for sure. But like I said, it never feels good to lose. Some ugly stuff for sure. It definitely wasn't our best night. But like I said, we're not going to make too big of a deal out of it. We'll watch the tape tomorrow, learn from it, get better."
Every snap counts for Lance, who is certainly still in learning mode after not having seen much playing time since leading North Dakota State to an FCS Championship in 2019. Thursday night was no exception.
"I've said it all year," Lance said. "Every rep, I feel like I get better and learn so much from every rep -- seeing pictures, banking pictures, memorizing different looks, just seeing as many things as I can and getting as many live game reps as I can."
Lance took one sack during his three drives and, as mentioned, was under pressure in other moments. But he put the blame on himself, saying his offensive line did what they needed to do as they continue to come together with what will likely be three new starters on the interior.
"They've been doing a great job," Lance said. "They did their job tonight. A couple ones, I could have got the ball out faster for sure. They're doing their thing. They're doing a great job and stacking days."
Fortunately, the 49ers will have two and a half weeks of practice to improve on Thursday's showing before opening the season against the Bears. The offense remains a work in progress, and they'll have the days ahead to come together as a unit before taking the field in Chicago. Lance is eagerly anticipating the start of the regular season, but he knows there's a lot of work still to be done before they face the Bears on September 11.
"I'm super excited to get to go... these 17 days will be super important for us before Chicago," Lance said.