SF 49ers: 3 reasons why Niners pull off Week 9 win vs. Packers
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: SF 49ers’ Nick Mullens has plenty to prove
Perhaps this is more of the “hope” variety instead of a bona fide reason why the SF 49ers win on Thursday night.
But it’s a good one to evaluate nonetheless.
San Francisco 49ers
Assuming Jimmy Garoppolo is done for the year, backup quarterback Nick Mullens will be the primary option under center for San Francisco and will have plenty to prove over the second-half stretch.
Mullens has a 70.4 completion percentage on the season with four touchdowns thrown against three interceptions, while his 97.8 passer rating is up seven full points from what he flashed during his second-half efforts back in 2018. Granted, the bulk of these efforts include garbage-time numbers against the Seahawks last week, as well as facing a bad New York Giants squad in Week 3. Still, the numbers are better than so-so.
This is important, as a strong Mullens finish will go a long way towards determining his future, both with the SF 49ers and potentially elsewhere.
Mullens is a restricted free agent in 2021, and his play could determine the kind of tender the Niners place on him, should they choose to do so, which will have increasing amounts of money associated depending on the rise of the associated round.
Either that, or if the Niners want to try moving Mullens this offseason to a quarterback-needy team, him doing all he can to maximize trade value could get off to a good start with a strong effort against Green Bay.
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The SF 49ers and Packers kick off on Thursday Night Football on Nov. 5 at 8:20 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium.