San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard got no indication going into Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins that he might replace Brian Hoyer. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told him to be ready but that is the case every week.
"I just know as a backup, you just got to be ready and always be prepared," Beathard told reporters following the game. "Nothing was different this week than any other week."
Beathard was a little nervous when his quarterback coach informed him he was going into the game, but the nervousness went away after a couple of plays.
"It's something you dream about as a kid, going in and playing your first NFL game," Beathard said following the loss. "It was cool."
The 49ers came close to earning their first victory of the season. The team trailed Washington by a score of 14-0 when Beathard replaced Hoyer in the second quarter and ended up with a 26-24 loss. It was the 49ers' fifth-straight loss by three-or-fewer points.
"We've got a lot of improving to do," Beathard said. "Just keep building and keep getting better as the weeks go on."
Shanahan declared that Beathard will be the 49ers' starting quarterback going forward, which means he will start next week against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium.
"I'm just taking it one day at a time," Beathard said. "Just taking it one day at a time. Going to watch this tape and just a ton of stuff to learn from. This is my first time playing in an NFL game and there's a lot of stuff I can learn from and get better at."