The San Francisco 49ers first win of the season brings with it praise for the 49ers younger talent. The NFL announced their Pepsi Rookie of the Week nominees for Week 10, and quarterback C.J. Beathard is one of the five nominees. It is an entirely fan-voted award, and you can vote here.
Beathard had by far the best performance of his young career. He completed 76 percent of his passes for 288 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. He also had 15 rushing yards, including an 11-yard touchdown scramble. He was six yards short of his career high in passing yards, but otherwise, he easily surpassed previous highs in completion percentage, QBR, and passer rating.
The QB banged his thumb when he dove for the touchdown, and he’ll get some rest for it until they return to formal practice next Monday. The 49ers will have meetings and activities this week before a few days off, but the first formal practice preparing for the Seattle Seahawks will likely be next Monday.
The next week will provide plenty of chatter as to Beathard’s future. His best performance comes as the 49ers are considering when to move Jimmy Garoppolo into the starting lineup. Some say Beathard’s performance “earned” him the start against the Seahawks. While in a fair world that would be the case, this all really comes down to when Garoppolo is ready to execute the offense.
If the bye week gets him ready to go, then you make the change. If he is not ready to go, then you wait until he is. Garoppolo might not prove to be the answer, but the 49ers acquired him in hopes that he can be. This team is not in the midst of a playoff push, so as far as I can see it, you put Garoppolo out there when he is ready to run the offense. It’s not fair to Beathard, but the NFL has proven time again it is not fair.