3 games SF 49ers couldn’t afford to lose in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: Week 4 vs. Eagles when SF 49ers get ‘bad’ Nick Mullens
It seems like a lifetime ago when SF 49ers fans were actually thinking backup quarterback Nick Mullens could be an excellent bridge option in the wake of Jimmy Garoppolo’s high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 2 versus the NY Jets. After all, Mullens was coming off an impressive road shredding of the NY Giants in Week 3, and the obvious hope was the Niners’ Week 4 opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles who were 0-2-1 entering the game, would provide no contest.
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Especially with now-benched quarterback Carson Wentz being ranked as one of the league’s least-efficient signal-callers with six interceptions thrown in the three games prior.
But it was Mullens, not Wentz, who struggled in the prime-time Sunday Night Football bout.
San Francisco’s backup went a lowly 18-of-26 for 200 yards, a touchdown against two interceptions while being sacked four times. He also lost a fumble, and Mullens’ turnover woes this season can be traced all the way back to his lowly performance in Week 4.
Yet just as was the case in Week 1, the SF 49ers were in a position to come away with the win, albeit what would have been an ugly one.
Late in the fourth quarter, Mullens’ lost fumble was recovered by Philadelphia, and the Eagles turned that turnover into a touchdown to take an 18-14 lead. Mullens’ subsequent snap after that Philly score ended up being a pick-six touchdown, too, making it 25-14 in favor of the Eagles.
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While the Niners closed the gap to make it 25-20 in the loss, that two-drive sequence has to be viewed as one of the uglier timeframes for Mullens and San Francisco this season amid a year of ugly timeframes.
And a critical one to the team’s premature ending to 2020.