The Nick Mullens love affair may be over. Sunday night's unremarkable performance against the Philadelphia Eagles almost certainly made sure of that. The San Francisco 49ers lost 25-20, and Mullens, who had impressed the week before, went 18-of-26 for 200 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions, a lost fumble, and a passer rating of 72.6.
This was an astonishingly bad pass. pic.twitter.com/FWIBXl0Rx2
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 5, 2020
The turnovers proved costly, and head coach Kyle Shanahan benched Mullens late in favor of C.J. Beathard, who mounted a comeback that fell just short of the win.
So much for a quarterback controversy. The only one that may exist now is for the backup job. 49ers fans are probably eagerly awaiting Jimmy Garoppolo's return. A high-ankle sprain has sidelined the starting quarterback since the injury occurred during Week 2 against the New York Jets.
The 49ers have yet to face an NFL behemoth and sit at .500. Their two road wins came against two of the worst NFL teams, while their two losses have come against what many might consider average opponents.
The season is long, though, and there is still time to turn things around. Shanahan hopes Garoppolo can come in soon and lead that charge. Will it be in time for this weekend's game against the Miami Dolphins?
"I'm not sure, totally," Shanahan responded after Sunday's game. "I didn't talk to him today about how it went. We'll see tomorrow when he comes in."
Garoppolo looked sharp during Week 2 before his injury — albeit against subpar competition. He was 14-of-16 for 131 yards, two touchdowns, and a passer rating of 140.4 in a half of play.
"I know he'll have a good workout here Monday and Tuesday, and hopefully he'll be good to go for Wednesday, but I'm not sure yet," Shanahan added.
The 49ers will hold three practices this week, with the first session scheduled for Wednesday. The team prepares to host the Dolphins at Levi's Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.
