SF 49ers: 4 players who must be on point in Week 17 vs. Seahawks
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers Quarterback C.J. Beathard
For all the right reasons, quarterback C.J. Beathard looked like a competent quarterback in San Francisco’s win over the Cardinals.
Beathard was neither flashy nor dominant and failed to crest 200 passing yards despite having a relatively healthy pass-catching crop and potent ground game to support him. But he did toss three touchdowns against a good Arizona defense against zero interceptions. True, Beathard did lose a fumble. But that can mostly be overlooked in the wake of the fourth-year pro doing a good enough job being effective enough through the air.
Against the Seahawks, Beathard doesn’t need to be a flashy playmaker. It’s OK if he plays conservative, relying heavily on the crossing-route patterns to take advantage of a still-suspect Seattle pass defense while avoiding its tendencies to blitz players like safety Jamal Adams.
Yes, Beathard’s pocket awareness isn’t great. But if Beathard relies on the same targets he used to great extent in Week 16, namely tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, those safety valves can allow the quarterback to be modestly effective enough.
In Beathard’s case, Week 17’s focus will be much like what Week 16 was about: protecting the ball and cutting down on the mistakes.