All-22 breakdown of Trey Lance's 5 interceptions shows troubling trend

Jesse Reed

•
All-22 breakdown of Trey Lance's 5 interceptions shows troubling trend image

Former first-round pick Trey Lance had a rough outing to close out the 2024 NFL preseason with the Dallas Cowboys.

He threw five interceptions in the game. Each one of them highlighted aspects of his skill-set that must be improved if Lance is ever going to live up to the hype he entered the league with. 

Here, we dive into what the All-22 shows us about Lance's final preseason performance this summer. 

Lance actually had a fairly hot start to this game. He led a field goal-scoring drive on the first drive and was moving the ball efficiently as a passer.

Then, the first sign of trouble came in the second quarter.

The big mistake here by Lance is quite simply poor ball location. This ball had to be thrown to the outside shoulder of the receiver, darn-near at the sideline. Instead, Jalen Moreno-Cropper ends up falling down as he tries to turn the other way toward the middle of the field. And by that point, Los Angeles Chargers safety Tony Jefferson (who had been reading Lance's eyes the entire way) was already in possession of the football.

If Lance had put the ball where it needed to be, there's a good chance the Cowboys would have converted the first down and kept marching.

But I have another nit to pick here. Lance appears to have predetermined his throw, before the snap ever took place. It appears he would have had a chance at a touchdown if he had kept his options open for a half-second longer, as the outside receiver broke open behind three Chargers defenders with only one man to beat. 

Moving to the second interception, Lance's struggles compounded the longer the game wore on. Here, in the third quarter, Lance is attempting to cap off a long drive with points in the red zone. Instead, he made a maddening decision that cost the Cowboys in a big way.

Nobody had a chance on this pass. Except for Jefferson, who had his eyes on Lance's eyes the entire time and was ready to pounce once the ball was in the air.

The decision to throw there makes no sense, either. In all honestly, there were zero Cowboys receivers open on the play, and Lance should have either tried to run the ball or thrown it away. 

Poor process. Poor result.

The third interception thrown by Lance against the Chargers was one he'll likely remember for a long time, even if he wishes not to. 

Lance started this play by recognizing the Chargers were blitzing and calling out protection. But he never saw Tre'Mon Morris-Brash, who had dropped into coverage after lining up on the edge.

Once more, it also appears Lance predetermined where he was going to go with the football before the snap, and once again, that decision bit him in the behind. 

On to the fourth interception, which saw Lance panic under pressure and throw up a prayer.

This one should have never been thrown. Lance was trying to do too much. He would have been better served either throwing the ball away or taking a sack. 

With just seven seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter, Lance had a chance to finish on a positive note.

Indeed, he did make a very nice decision, on time, that could have resulted in a touchdown. Unfortunately, Lance put way too much on this pass and it went yards over his receiver's head. 

Clearly, Lance still has a lot to clean up.

Time and again, the two things that come up for him are ball placement and decision-making. These are the two most important things that NFL quarterbacks must do well in order to succeed. 

Thankfully for Lance, the Cowboys appear dedicated to helping him continue his development. Team owner Jerry Jones told reporters immediately following the tough outing that Lance will remain on the roster. 

“I saw some good, and I saw some things you’d like to have back,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, per Pro Football Talk. “I hate that those five interceptions are going to be a stat on a game that I couldn’t have asked for more reps and a better situation to watch him play. He needed that because the one thing he’s missing more than anything is the lack of reps much less NFL reps. Certainly, we’re planning on him being on our roster for sure.”

But the fact remains that Lance still has a veritable mountain to climb. Whether he can reach the pinnacle remains to be seen. 

Jesse Reed

Jesse Reed Photo

Jesse Reed is a passionate and avid NFL fan, first and foremost. He has been a professional writer for more than a decade with experience as a Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, where he was featured on Yardbarker and MSN.com. Previously, Jesse was a breaking news writer/NFL analyst for Bleacher Report. Follow him on X/Twitter at @JesseReed78.