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49ers' latest starting QB in post-Colin Kaepernick era: C.J. Beathard

zach pereles

Brian Hoyer was expected to be a bridge quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers this season until head coach Kyle Shanahan could hand-pick his franchise guy in the near future.

Instead, the Hoyer stopgap hit an abrupt halt in Week 6. He got benched for rookie C.J. Beathard, who took over in the second quarter against the Washington Redskins and will keep the job going forward, Shanahan announced postgame.

49ers rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard within striking distance in Sunday's loss to the Redskins. (AP)
49ers rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard within striking distance in Sunday’s loss to the Redskins. (AP)

The 49ers, now 0-6, entered Sunday ranked in the bottom 10 of the league in most major offensive categories, including yards per game, yards per play and points per game.

Colin Kaepernick opted out of his contract last March (the 49ers have said they would have cut him had he not opted out) and signed Hoyer hoping he could offer some semblance of stability as the new regime, under Shanahan and general manager Jon Lynch, pinpointed their future quarterback.

It’s been a rough go for Hoyer, who has as many picks (four) as touchdowns this year. His 6.24 yards per attempt was sixth-worst in the NFL coming into this week. He also has three fumbles.

Hoyer got off to a horrible start against Washington, hitting just 4 of 11 passes for 34 yards. Beathard, a rookie out of Iowa, is the grandson of former Washington general manager Bobby Beathard. It was his regular season NFL debut.

Beathard rallied the 49ers from a 0-17 hole, leading San Francisco to 17 unanswered points. The Redskins, though, tacked on a field goal and a Kirk Cousins touchdown (with a missed extra point) to take a 26-17 lead. Beathard found a wide-open Aldrick Robinson to draw within 26-24, but Beathard was picked off in Washington territory in the dying moments of the game, sealing the 49ers’ 0-6 start.

Overall, the third-rounder finished 19-of-36 for 245 yards with a score and a pick. He also had a 14-yard rush. Though the numbers may not look great on the surface, the 49ers were wholly uncompetitive before Beathard entered and quickly became quite competitive once Beathard settled in. It was a promising debut by all accounts.

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