On Sunday, the Chicago Bears will face the San Francisco 49ers. Niners quarterback Trey Lance has the pressure of noble backup Jimmy Garoppolo breathing down his neck. Justin Fields’ woes are right in front of him on the Bears’ O-line. For both, the first game could already be a measuring stick.

Munich – To kick off the new season, the San Francisco 49ers have to play the Chicago Bears. A supposed must-win for the Californians. But above all, all eyes are on Trey Lance, who won the race for the starting quarterback position in the run-up to the game. But breathing down his neck is Jimmy Garoppolo, the discarded noble backup, who hangs like a sword of Damocles over Lance’s performance.

On the other hand, Justin Fields’ position as the Bears’ starting quarterback is unchallenged – but there are plenty of question marks ahead of the NFC North franchise’s season despite three wins in the preseason.

Lance has Garoppolo at his back

Jimmy Garoppolo led the 49ers to a Super Bowl and the NFC Championship Game last season. A shoulder injury and an eternal trade posse followed, at the end of which the 30-year-old remained in San Francisco after all. Head coach Kyle Shanahan, however, named Trey Lance the new starting quarterback. The 22-year-old, for whom the 49ers traded up to position three in the 2021 draft, takes over a team with big ambitions in his second NFL year.

The first game day could be a yardstick for the season. In the preseason, Lance was not completely convincing, but he made few mistakes and proved that he can read the field. In addition, the 49ers provide him with experienced support. With the likes of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Kyle Juszczyk, the offence does not rest solely on the shoulders of the 22-year-old.

Lance won’t have to carry the 49ers alone

A run-happy offense and Shanahan should take additional plays away from Lance. But he’ll have to take throws, too, of course. Not all of them will get there, but they don’t have to. Above all, the former North Dakota Bison must Bprove he can lead the team under Shanahan’s system. The youngster needs to turn off the voices in the back of his head that call for Garoppolo every time he makes a mistake. Whether the 49ers did themselves a favour by keeping the veteran remains to be seen.

According to the head coach, his new protégé is going into the first game with a lot of confidence. “Trey is in great shape. He’s confident, he’s trained as much as he’s ever trained. He’s been thrown into a lot of tough situations and some good ones, now it’s time to play,” he explained at the press conference.

Fields: A lot of weight on his shoulders

But it won’t just be Lance in the spotlight. His counterpart Justin Fields was at times considered a possible pick by the 49ers before the 2021 draft. The now 23-year-old auditioned in pre-draft workouts in front of Shanahan – but as we all know, things turned out differently.

Fields showed in his rookie season in a direct duel that the 49ers missed out on a good quarterback, even if the Californians won the matchup with Garoppolo in the end. Unlike Lance, Fields made ten starts in his first season before missing the final few games with an injury. His worries aren’t looking over his shoulder at the lurking backup, either, but in front of and beside him.

The fact that new head coach Matt Eberflus is a defensive specialist doesn’t necessarily make it easier for Fields and the development of the offense. Darnell Mooney is the clear number one receiver. Equanimeous St. Brown has played his way onto the 53-man roster with strong preseason performances, and rookie Velus Jones Jr. will still have to prove himself.

Bears O-Line in Rebuild

The question is how much time Fields will get to play his receivers at all. Last season, the quarterback conceded 36 sacks in 12 games and suffered a rib and ankle injury. The Bears’ O-line must do a better job of protecting their playmaker this season. The Bears addressed this in the draft, picking up four offensive linemen and also signing Lucas Patrick, the former centre of Aaron Rodgers. However, due to a splint on his hand, he will probably not be able to take any snaps, at least for the start of the season. Next to him, Cody Whitehair is the most experienced man.

The preseason has shown that the change has already borne fruit. The Bears won all three games and Fields was able to prove in part why he was drafted eleventh overall in the draft. 49ers tackle Trent Williams, however, downplayed the performances of the upcoming opponent: “The guys made a lot of progress in the preseason, but Sunday is the big test. What went before then doesn’t count. “

The foundation stones for a new Bears offence have been laid. But questions remain for the young O-line. Questions that rookie Braxton Jones and second-year tackles Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom, among others, want to answer.