Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback Nick Mullens hasn't been thrown into the best situation. He has taken over an injury-ravaged San Francisco 49ers roster that is just now starting to get some of its key players back. Yet, it remains far from full-strength.
With Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined with a high-ankle sprain until at least Week 15, it's Mullens at the helm of the 49ers offense for now. He has completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 1,390 yards with six touchdowns through six games and four starts this season. The quarterback has also thrown six interceptions and posted a passer rating of over 90.0 just twice.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan can't deny that Mullens has been up and down this season. Not all of it is his fault, though. The quarterback has been dealt a difficult hand. In one game against the Green Bay Packers, his injury- and COVID-diminished wide receiver group was almost unrecognizable, pieced together using practice squad players just to field an offense.
"I think at some games, he's played at a very high level, especially that first game, the Giants game," Shanahan told reporters this past week. "You can't play much better than he did that game. I thought he did some real good things in the New Orleans game, too.
"But there's a lot of games, you go into the Green Bay game and stuff like that and a number of others, and this week is going to be tough too."
The 49ers have six players remaining on the reserve/COVID-19 list who won't play in Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams. That includes impressive rookie receiver
Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams.
"Anytime you put a quarterback in there who's hasn't had two weeks in a row with the same group of receivers," Shanahan continued, "whether, it was Jimmy at first, it was us in training camp, and now it's been Nick every week, and the same thing with the running backs and the O-line. So, I think that's been a huge challenge for Nick, and it would be for C.J. (Beathard) if he gets in, and it was for Jimmy.
"So, I think it's a little unfair to judge the quarterbacks a hundred percent on how they've been each game in terms of stats and the score and things like that. I try to just watch the situations they're in, what I think they're capable of doing, and I think Nick has played like Nick.
"I think he's been a really solid guy for us. He gives us a chance to win, but we've got to play better around him in order for him to play to his full ability. We've got to have a chance to play better around him with getting a little bit more continuity here in the last six games."
Mullens has no shortage of confidence. He also knows aspects of his game need to improve if he's to guide the 49ers through the next handful of games. The team's playoff chances are slim but are still there.
Mullens was asked this past week to assess his play this season.
"I think it, for me, if I protect the football, I think I'm a pretty darn good quarterback, and that's really what matters most," Mullens responded. "And so, I'd like to improve on that after these past couple of games, but other than that, just stick to my reads, stick to my progressions, be accurate. I've had some good plays, had some bad plays, but you just keep working along and continue to work and execute at a high level."
There's good news and not-so-good news for the San Francisco 49ers on the defensive end front as the 2020 season comes to a close.
No position on the San Francisco 49ers was hit harder with injuries over the course of the 2020 season than defensive end, with the absences of Nick Bosa and Dee Ford in particular resulting in a significant negative impact for the team's pass rush. But while all signs are positive in terms of Bosa being ready for the 2021 season, it sounds like things aren't as certain when it comes to Ford.
49ers general manager John Lynch discussed the current status of each player during his year-end press conference on Monday, and while his tone was upbeat about Bosa's recovery from a season-ending torn ACL, he sounded much less optimistic in
Former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was hired by the New York Jets on Thursday to be the team's new head coach. General manager John Lynch immediately texted Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
"Robert's earned this opportunity," Lynch told Breer. "He's smart, a tremendously gifted leader, and ready for this challenge. We'll miss him dearly, but he's left us better, and we'll be proud of all that he'll accomplish. The Jets are very fortunate."
On Saturday morning, the 49ers released official statements from Shanahan and Lynch.
"There is not much I haven't already said about Robert's abilities as a coach and as a leader," said Shanahan via
There are times when a winning team running an unnecessary play with the game in hand would be something that falls under the category of poor sportsmanship, but it turns out the Seattle Seahawks had a good reason to do so against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The Seahawks had the lead and the ball with 22 seconds to play in their 26-23 win over the 49ers, which is a situation where teams would usually kneel on the ball to run out the clock. But they decided instead to run a short five-yard pass play to wide receiver David Moore, which left some observers confused.
After the game, it was revealed the Seahawks ran the play for Moore so he could get a performance bonus of $100,000. Moore's contract stipulates that he gets the bonus for 35 receptions on the
