The San Francisco 49ers have a new starting quarterback.
Coach Kyle Shanahan named rookie signal-caller C.J. Beathard the team's new starter moving forward following his impressive performance in Sunday's 26-24 loss to the Washington Redskins.
Beathard took over at quarterback in the second quarter for the struggling Brian Hoyer with the 49ers trailing the Washington Redskins by two scores. He eventually helped the 49ers tie the game in the fourth quarter before Kirk Cousins and the Redskins pulled away in the closing minutes.
It didn't take long for Beathard to make an impact on the scoreboard for the 49ers once he entered the game. After his first possession (which included a 13-yard pass to Garrett Celek for his first NFL completion) fizzled after four plays, Beathard orchestrated an 11-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a 1-yard touchdown run by Carlos Hyde. The touchdown made it 17-7 Redskins at halftime and Beathard completed six of 14 passes for 89 yards heading into the locker room. Beathard ultimately fell short of his comeback bid as his final pass of the day was intercepted and Washington held on for a 26-24 win.
Beathard finished the game 19 of 36 for 245 yards and one TD pass.
Hoyer was unable to generate much of anything against the Redskins -- a trend that has shadowed him at times throughout the season. He completed four of 11 passes for 34 yards in his limited time under center against Washington.
Two weeks ago, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he wasn't yet ready to go with Beathard while also acknowledging Hoyer needed to play better. It looks as if Hoyer's on-field performance forced Shanahan to play his rookie signal-caller a little sooner than he had hoped for.
