49ers backup QB job – Mullens or C.J. Beathard?
San Francisco 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys in exhibition opener
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jalen Hurd, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/John Hefti)
2019.08.10 – Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard, they are neck-to-neck for the 49ers backup QB job and the San Francisco 49ers rallied behind two touchdown catches from Jalen Hurd to beat the Dallas Cowboys 17-9 at Levi’s Stadium.
According to Shanahan, the competition for who will be Jimmy Garoppolo’s and 49ers backup QB job still is to be determined.
While Mullens received the first reps, C.J. Beathard will be the first to follow Garoppolo next week against the Denver Broncos.
“Yeah, Jimmy should be ready to go next week, but we’ll let C.J. go ahead of Nick for the second game,” Shanahan said.
“Just, we had to pick, so Nick went first,” the coach added. “He was the last one to finish the season, so …”
Shanahan saw positive play from both of his backups, but he also sees room from improvement.
“I thought both of them made some good plays, but I thought both of them definitely had one really bad play,” Shanahan said. “Thought that they [each] threw a pick that was pretty easy to see.”
Shanahan was asked if there was a clear separation between the two after one game, he succinctly replied, “No.”
The Cowboys played most of their starters on defense for the first two drives, while the Niners kept about 30 players out either with injuries or out of caution. Only a handful of projected starters played for San Francisco, with quarterback Garoppolo waiting until next week to make his return from knee surgery.
2019.08.10 – (San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys) Video
2019.08.10 – (San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys) Video
Nick Mullens got the starting nod at quarterback and threw for 105 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the first half in his attempt to win the 49ers QB backup job. C.J. Beathard threw for 141 yards, one TD and one interception in the second half before leaving with what appeared to be an injured hand.
Mullens had a positive view of the team’s preseason debut.
“I thought it was a solid start,” Mullens said. “Obviously, you want to eliminate turnovers, but at the same time, I think we developed a rhythm eventually, and put the ball in the right spot. I was accurate for the most part, and everybody did their job well. Ran the ball, threw the ball and protected well. It’s a good step for the first preseason game.”
Beathard gave a simple take on the game.
“I thought it went well, other than the interception — dumb decision there,” Beathard said. “But other than that, I thought it went really well.”
Hurd, a third-round pick, caught the two TD passes, bowling over a defender on the first and leaping over one on the second. He finished with three catches for 31 yards.
“I can do different things,” Hurd said. “We’ll just see what they do with me. I’m just trying to seize the opportunity to make a play.”
Second-round receiver Deebo Samuel had two catches for 61 yards, one run for 14 yards and also drew a 25-yard pass interference call.
San Francisco had three players go down with injuries in the first quarter with swing tackle Shon Coleman (right ankle), running back Raheem Mostert (concussion) and defensive tackle D.J. Jones (knee) all getting hurt.
COMEBACK KID
The game had special meaning for Dallas four-time Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick, who missed all last season battling a nerve disorder. He played the opening drive in his return.
“It was a good feeling to be out there, playing with the guys and being a part of the game,” he said. “I am trying to treat everything just like a normal preseason and a normal training camp.”
JUST FOR KICKS
Maher, who missed six field goals from inside 50 yards last season for Dallas, got plenty of chances in this game as he tries to show the consistency Dallas wants from that position.
He made kicks from 25, 40 and 31 yards in the first half, while also missing another field goal wide right from 35 yards.
INJURIES
The bad news on injuries for the 49ers wasn’t limited to the game. The team announced that projected starting slot receiver Trent Taylor had surgery on a broken bone in his foot Friday and was expected to miss four to six weeks.
The most serious injury from the game appeared to be Coleman, who had an air cast placed on his lower right leg and was taken off the field on a cart after getting hurt on San Francisco’s opening drive.
The Cowboys lost LB Luke Gifford with what Jones described as a “significant” ankle injury in the first half. Gifford had an interception before getting hurt.
UP NEXT
Cowboys: Play the Los Angeles Rams in Honolulu on Aug. 17.
49ers: Visit the Denver Broncos on Aug. 19.
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL: www.apnews.com/tag/NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
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