49ers’ C.J. Beathard: ‘There’s no doubt in my mind that we can make the playoffs’

No one will ever accuse C.J. Beathard of having a lack of confidence. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback remains hopeful, even after a 1-3 start, that he can lead his team to a playoff appearance in his second NFL season. The first step will be to defeat the visiting Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on Sunday.

While many within the media have given up on the 49ers' playoff chances, Beathard joined 95.7 The Game on Thursday night and shared that his eyes remain set on playing in January.

"I think we're shooting for the playoffs," Beathard told Damon Bruce. "We want to make the playoffs. Yeah, we've had some injuries and whatnot, but there's no doubt in my mind that we can make the playoffs and it starts with this next game and not looking ahead to the next game or the 12 games we have left.

"We're looking forward to this one against Arizona, and if we win this one, then we move on to the next one, try to win that one, and just kind of stack some good games up, get some wins rolling."

The 49ers may have lost this past Sunday to the Los Angeles Chargers, but you would have a hard time arguing that it was Beathard's fault. While he tossed two interceptions, he also went 23-of-37 for a career-high 298 yards with two touchdowns while displaying a great deal of toughness throughout the game.

"I feel light years ahead of where I was last year with the knowledge of the offense and just how everything has slowed down," Beathard said. "Just being able to read coverages, I'm actually able to see what the defense is doing when I call a play. I feel like last year I'd call a play and walk up to the line of scrimmage and still be thinking about what I just said. It's definitely slowed down a lot for me this year."

You can listen to the entire conversation with Beathard below. He also discusses the Crucial Catch event held at Levi's Stadium on Tuesday night, tight end George Kittle saying he has a "dad bod," his grandfather's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the losses of running back Jerick McKinnon and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.