Getty Trey Lance warms up before the 49ers took on the Titans on Thursday, December 23 in Nashville.
Trey Lance became a trending topic on the Twitter search engine on Thursday, December 23 throughout the San Francisco 49ers at Tennessee Titans contest won by the home team 20-17, which was decided through a last second field goal.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t because he pulled off a spectacular run. Nor did the rookie from North Dakota State fire a bomb from his right arm against the Titans.
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Why was the backup quarterback to Jimmy Garoppolo trending during the 49ers’ loss? One online graphic and question sparked the conversation on the social media site.
Is it time for Trey Lance?
And two errors from Garoppolo in the three-point road defeat in Nashville triggered calls for a quarterback change this late into the season.
‘Bad Jimmy’
Just when it was looking like the 49ers were about to take a two touchdown lead over the Titans, the term “Bad Jimmy” sprouted online following a Garoppolo mistake.
Garoppolo went from firing with consistency on his first eight passes with zero incompletions to watching “Jackrabbit” snatch the ball away in the end zone.
BAH GAWD! Is that @JjenkzLockdown music?!
📺: Watch #SFvsTEN on @nflnetwork
But that wasn’t the only Garoppolo miscue. That Garoppolo pick snatched by Janoris Jermain Jenkins, better known as “Jackrabbit” to Tennessee, became the first of two takeaways by the Titans.
Amani Hooker came next for the Titans, who took advantage of the overthrown ball on the Deebo Samuel underneath dig route.
Momentum SWING! @amanihooker37
📺: Watch #SFvsTEN on @nflnetwork
Greg Olsen, who called the commentary in the Thursday Night Football showdown, was blunt about Garoppolo’s play following that fast start.
“Jimmy Garoppolo is just not seeing the field right now,” the former NFL tight end said.
Again, two words became the theme from Twitter users who watched Jimmy G perform.
Oakland A’s beat writer for The Athletic Steve Berman hopped on the “Bad Jimmy” postings.
Bad Jimmy took a 6-week sabbatical, but he has returned.
Fellow Athletic writer Matt Barrows, who covers the 49ers, followed suit by keeping this score.
Scoreboard:
49ers 10
Titans 3
Bad Jimmy 3
Cameron Salerno, who helps cover the 49ers through the Sacramento Bee, used bad twice.
Nick Wagoner went with a lengthier tweet, but including the two-word nickname for the 49ers’ quarterback when he under performs.
And once again during the game, the calls for a change behind center filled Twitter timelines.
Popular ‘It’s My Turn!’ Gif Used to Describe 49ers QB Situation
FanDuel was among the users that gave its take on Lance/Garoppolo. And the sports betting site used a well-used gif involving Fox Sports personality Skip Bayless to paint the picture that Lance is demanding he go next.
Trey Lance on the sideline watching Jimmy G sell the game away 😩
Speaking of Bayless, the outspoken critic chimed in after the 49ers’ loss — believing that Lance’s future running the 49ers’ offense is coming faster than most think.
Trey Lance is the future for the 49ers. The near future.
Bayless’s fellow “Undisputed” panelist Shannon Sharpe was another vocal critic of the 49ers’ QB play.
Sean Jordan, manager of the Bleacher Report app, described the 49ers’ defeat as a “depressing loss” and let it be known who he wants to see at quarterback.
Niners have to lead the league in depressing losses. I know it’s now how sports work but this team could easily be 11-4. So ready to watch Trey Lance.
Fans of the 49ers then demanded Lance to take the reins.
I think it’s time the 49ers play Trey Lance and live with the results
Dieter Kurtenbach of KNBR 680 AM in the Bay Area then proposed this burning question:
Managing editor of Pro Football Talk Michael David Smith, however, tweeted this reminder about the situation both Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan are in.
Kyle Shanahan has never wavered that Jimmy G is his QB. Traded for him, extended him, insisted after drafting Trey Lance that there would be no QB competition.
It’s weird how the narrative is “Kyle is a genius and Jimmy holds him back.” Kyle is the one putting Jimmy out there.
Shanahan acknowledged that the interceptions were costly, but didn’t want to pin everything on Garoppolo.
“Two turnovers cost you, but that’s not all on him. It’s on everybody out there.” Kyle Shanahan #49ers
And Garoppolo’s reaction to the loss was:
“You’ve got to take your lumps, look at the film, be hard on ourselves and for 10 days we’ve got to get ready and move on to the next one,” Garoppolo told reporters.
“We’ve got to move on from this and move on to the next one.” Jimmy Garoppolo #49ers
Garoppolo finished 26-of-35 for 322 yards, one touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk that tied the game up at 17 but threw the two picks.
The 49ers not only dropped to 8-7 overall with two regular season games left, but are now 0-3 this season when Garoppolo throws two interceptions in a game. Per Pro Football Reference, he had two picks in previous losses to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7 and the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13.