C.J. Beathard did not surprise his 49ers teammates -- or his head coach -- with his performance against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. He managed to open some eyes nationally, though.
In his Football Morning in America column, NBC Sports' Peter King named the quarterback one of his "Offensive Players of the Week."
"[It’s] not only that Beathard needed to be good on the road against a quality team, the Chargers; it’s that San Francisco had to get over the devastation of losing their franchise quarterback with 13 games left," King wrote. "Beathard was more than competitive. He was very good. ... It’s hard to reward a player from a team that lost, particularly when they were so many worthy performances, but what Beathard accomplished gives the Niners hope that they can be a competitive franchise all season."
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SIGN UP HERE In a 27-26 loss to the Chargers, Beathard completed 23 of 37 passes for a career-high 298 yards. He threw two touchdowns, as well as two interceptions, and had the 49ers up 27-26 in the fourth quarter.
When franchise QB Jimmy Garoppolo tore his left ACL, San Francisco opted not to sign any other quarterbacks. Through one week, at least, Beathard has rewarded Kyle Shanahan's faith.