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The 49ers were in Minnesota this week for some joint practice with the Vikings before the two teams face off in a preseason duel on Saturday.
While receiver Brandon Aiyuk called the joint sessions a “waste of time,” they seemed to have some use for quarterback Trey Lance.
“For me, I’m just trying to get out of here every day and try to get better by taking one step at a time, especially with these exercises,” Lance said of NBCSportsBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco. “One step at a time, one day at a time, and just keep grooving with these guys.”
Maiocco reports that Lance scored 23/35 in the two practice sessions with Minnesota, with most of his tries coming against George Kittle, receiver Deebo Samuel and Aiyuk.
“Playing football is a kind of throwing where the defense tells me where to throw the ball,” Lance said. “I don’t just go back and pick a guy. … But yeah, I definitely find rhythm.”
This is especially true for Samuel. He’s a crucial part of San Francisco’s offense, having mustered 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns and another 291 yards and two touchdowns in three postseason games during the 2021 regular season. But Samuel and Lance’s time together was limited as Samuel was not in the offseason program and was looking for a new contract. And he only recently started practicing after the deal closed on July 31.
“He’s done a great job over the past few days,” Lance said. “Again, the more replays we can get together, the more stuff we can watch together, the better we get.”
Led by Nick Bosa, San Francisco’s defense should hold the team in most games. If Lance can make friends with his goals early on, the 49ers could be in good shape to lead the conference in 2022.