C.J. Beathard entered the game for the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter, replacing an ineffective Nick Mullens against what was supposed to be an inferior opponent — the previously winless Philadelphia Eagles.
Beathard mounted a comeback that fell just short. It was the quarterback's first action since October 28, 2018, and he finished the game 14-of-19 for 138 yards.
Beathard said after the game that being told he was entering came as a bit of a surprise. Surprise or not, the quarterback looked comfortable taking over the offense and trying to engineer a comeback.
"Honestly, I just give credit to me being in my fourth year in the system," Beathard shared. "It's night and day compared to the last time I was in there playing in the regular season. It just feels comfortable. The more you go through the plays, the more you're in the offense, it just gets a lot more comfortable."
The loss drops the 49ers to 2-2 in a season heading into which players were focused on rebounding from February's Super Bowl defeat and getting back to the big game. No one has given up on that, though.
"I said Week 1 (that) losing sucks," tight end George Kittle said after the game. "It just does, especially when we have high goals. We want to get back to the Super Bowl, and when you go out, and you play like that, there's not really any chance."
The "Revenge Tour" hasn't been canceled, though. The team is focused on fixing its issues and getting back on track. That will mean taking things one game at a time. Right now, that means moving past this disappointing loss and taking its frustrations out on the Miami Dolphins.
"No one's panicking," Beathard said. "I think we're good where we're at. I mean, two losses, we're 2-2 right now. That's just the fact of the matter. We're a 2-2 football team. We've got Miami next week. All we've got to do is go to work this week and get back on the winning schedule. No one's panicking, though."
