Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson got a good look at San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard last week. While preparing for his Monday night opponent, the Washington Redskins, Pederson had to review a lot of film from Washington's previous opponent – the 49ers. One player who stood out was Beathard, who came off the bench to replace an ineffective Brian Hoyer and got his first extensive playing time in an NFL game.
Beathard came just shy of leading the 49ers to their first victory of the season. Instead, the 49ers lost their fifth-straight game by three-or-fewer points and then fell victim to a 40-10 beating by the Dallas Cowboys the following week, which was Beathard's first NFL start.
As the team's permanent starting quarterback, Beathard is now preparing for his second NFL start and Pederson is getting an even better look at him this week as the coach reviews the film from the Cowboys' rout of the 49ers. The task at hand for Beathard and the 49ers is a difficult one. At 6-1, the Eagles own the best record in the NFL and opened the week as heavy favorites over the winless 49ers.
Pederson spoke to Bay Area media on Wednesday and shared what he has seen from the 49ers rookie quarterback. More specifically, the Eagles head coach was asked about Beathard's first extensive playing time, which came in Washington.
"He played a great game (against Washington), actually," Pederson said, "and had a chance to win that football game down the stretch. He's gaining confidence every time he takes the field. And, again, kind of the same thing I've seen in Carson (Wentz), he's understanding where his guys are and getting the ball out of his hands, not taking as many hits, and just moving the ball. That was a really good game for him and I think he's just going to continue to get better with each snap."
The 49ers and Eagles kick off at 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday.
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