Editor’s note: Former 49ers Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Garcia, now an NBC Sports Bay Area analyst, will share his thoughts on the team each week throughout the season. This week, he takes an in-depth look at the play of the team’s quarterback position.
The 49ers take a six-game losing streak into their quick-turnaround game Thursday night against the Oakland Raiders at Levi’s Stadium.
There is not a lot of time to make corrections before their next game, but there are some key areas where the 49ers should consider changes in the coming weeks. After all, there are no real signs that things are heading in a positive direction.
It is unclear whether quarterback C.J. Beathard will be healthy enough to play Thursday due to a right wrist injury. Regardless, it is getting close to that time for coach Kyle Shanahan to consider his options.
Beathard showing signs of regression
Over the past two games, Beathard has taken steps backward in his progress as the 49ers quarterback. He played really solid football during the games against the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Chargers. He played decently in the first game against Arizona, though he struggled with turnovers.
But how Beathard played against the Los Angeles Rams at home and how he played this past weekend against the Arizona Cardinals, he looks as if he is struggling with his technique and his rhythm.
I don’t feel like he is anticipating like he should. The ball placement has not been as good as it was in his first three starts. I believe he is starting to feel pressure – the pressure from the pass rush and other pressure. As an NFL starting quarterback, there are a lot of responsibilities placed upon your shoulders to lead and carry the team.
In the first quarter against Arizona, they had minus-11 net passing yards. The 49ers’ passing game struggled to get going. His big weapon, Marquise Goodwin, was not getting many attempts. He has to find a way to utilize Goodwin’s speed and playmaking ability. Tight end George Kittle has been the team’s consistent performer. The ball is still going to him, but it has been more sporadic.
There are things he is not continuing to improve on. C.J. is running a West Coast style offense, so there are things he can do to help his offensive line, in the sense of timing and getting the ball out. His anticipation, throwing receivers open, must improve.
One example was a 15-yard comeback he tried to throw to Trent Taylor on the sideline that was batted down at the line of scrimmage. When you throw that type of ball to the sideline, there should be a little bit of touch, a little bit of anticipation, a little more air under the throw. You should never have that ball blocked at the line of scrimmage. In a situation like that, there’s not a sense of the understanding of what he needs to do from a rhythm and anticipation standpoint.
Mechanically, he gets flat-footed at the end of his drop. He’s got no rhythm in his feet or that hitch up in the pocket to help out offensive tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey and push the rush past him. He is starting to throw the football off-balance, and not stepping in the direction of his target. He is throwing with his hips open, and that affects his accuracy.
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Getting closer to a change
If Beathard continues in this downward direction and the productivity is not where it needs to be with his accuracy, rhythm and understanding, it is getting close to that time for a change.
You have to see what else you have in your lineup, especially with the direction the season is going. Whether it’s Nick Mullens or Tom Savage, coach Kyle Shanahan should consider making a change, unless Beathard shows signs of turning it around, beginning Thursday against the Raiders.
Mullens is the backup, so he would probably get the first chance. But Savage is a veteran and he’s had enough opportunity to gain some knowledge of the system. He’s been in the system before, so he has a basic understanding of it.
If the offense continues to sputter and there are not better results in terms of extending drives, scoring touchdowns in the red zone and third-down efficiency, why wouldn’t you make a change?
Your team is not going anywhere. You’re not going to make the playoffs. You’re not in a position to continue to develop players when the results are so mediocre. Shanahan might as well see what he has on the roster and see if a change can jump-start anything to change the direction of the season.
It doesn’t mean you’re not still behind Beathard and what he can bring to this team in the future, it’s more about finding out what else they have on this team and if it might make a difference.
Lacking killer instinct
It was gut-wrenching to once again see this team be in a position to win a football game and lose it in the end. We’ve seen this multiple times this season, where this team has battled well enough for nearly four quarters of a game only to find an unfortunate way to lose it.
And a couple of times this season it has fallen upon the defense. There have been a couple of times where it has fallen upon the offense to put a drive together and close out the game – that four-minute drive opportunity, where if you get a couple of first downs and keep the ball, you win the football game.
What hurt against the Cardinals was they were working with a makeshift defensive backfield. Half of these guys should not even be on the field and haven’t been on the field. All of a sudden, because of injuries, they are put in at critical times, and the Cardinals took advantage of it.
It’s tough in the NFL to compete with players who aren’t ready to be starters – or who are not starter quality. At the safety position, the 49ers were down to their No. 2 or No. 3 guys. There is a drop-off, especially with a young team like the 49ers. And it is going to be a big drop off.
That has been a major problem, and it’s too bad. When you look at Sunday’s game, throughout the prior three-plus quarters, Arizona had converted two third-down situations. In the last two scoring drives, the Cardinals picked up four third-down conversions.
The defense just could not get off the field, and a couple of those were third-and-long situations. If you make one play in those situations, you get off the field and put your offense in a position to just close out the game. That has been a problem not only this year, we saw it last season with five consecutive losses by three points or less.
As a young team, come crunch time, players need to step up. Unfortunately, these players have not been able to do that.