San Francisco 49ers: Breaking down C.J. Beathard’s promising 2018 debut

C.J. Beathard enjoyed his best game with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4, here we break down his performance against the Los Angeles Chargers.

When Jimmy Garoppolo was lost for the season in Week 3, the excitement surrounding the San Francisco 49ers 2018 campaign went with it.

However, with the dust now settled on Week 4, there is reason to be intrigued about the remaining 12 games following an extremely promising performance from C.J. Beathard that served as his best in a 49ers uniform.

The 298 yards he threw for in last Sunday’s 29-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers were the most of his 49ers career, and the improvements he demonstrated in a number of areas suggested that, in Garoppolo and Beathard, the Niners may have that most valuable of luxuries — two starter caliber quarterbacks.

Accuracy

Completing just 54.9 percent of his passes, accuracy was not a strong suit of Beathard in his rookie year. It was a different tale last weekend, though, as Beathard hit on 62.2 percent of his throws, with some of the biggest plays made by the 49ers coming as a consequence of near-perfect accuracy from the 2017 third-round pick.

Beathard was able to deliver accurate passes down in the red zone and when pushing the ball downfield, the former Iowa Hawkeye doing an excellent job of finding his receivers in stride.

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The first of his two touchdown passes may have looked relatively simple, but it would not have come to fruition if not for Beathard’s magnificent ball placement, which saw him fit the ball between three pairs of hands and far enough out in front of Kendrick Bourne so that the cornerback trying to make a play on it had no chance of doing so.

Just as impressive and aesthetically superior was this long completion to Pierre Garcon on a beautifully designed play-action pass. Beathard’s rollout to his right gets much of the defense flowing the left while Marquise Goodwin’s deep route occupies a corner and the single-high safety and Alfred Morris’ route to the flat puts Derwin James in two minds, leaving Garcon one on one with a linebacker.

Despite the brilliance of the design, it still required a far-hash throw back across the field to the sideline from Beathard, and he delivered in style, showcasing superb touch to drop the ball over Garcon’s head and right into his hands.

Beathard was not pressured on either of those plays, yet even when the rush did close in he excelled at throwing with anticipation in what were clear signs of progress from 2017.

Throwing under pressure

Beathard struggled when pressured as a rookie, with the absence of any sort of continuity on the offensive line certainly not aiding his cause. Against the Chargers, though, Beathard had a higher passing rating when under pressure (90.5) than when kept clean (78.8), according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), per 49ers.com.

His prowess in such situations is somewhat down to well-documented grit and moxie that have defined his early 49ers career and made him willing to stand in and take fierce shots such as this one from Derwin James, which he survived to deliver a perfectly timed ball to George Kittle over the middle.

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Poise and mobility were also significant contributing factors to how Beathard performed against the pass rush. Beathard’s escapability and skills as a runner allowed him to turn near-certain sacks into a positive plays while also prompting concern over the amount of punishment he takes when he does attempt to make things happen with his legs.

Yet when he uses his mobility in a more intelligent fashion, it can be a huge weapon in helping him negate pressure. This play-action throw to Bourne is an excellent example. Beathard hops to his right to buy himself more time as a rusher comes free up the middle and then steps up and hits Bourne, who astutely finds the soft spot in the zone and works back to the ball, on the move.

Manipulating defenders

Beathard’s 82-yard connection with George Kittle was highlighted by the long catch-and-run from a tight end he has been teammates with since college. However, what made the play so effective was how Beathard moved the deep safety with his eyes. Beathard initally looks to his left as he takes the snap, which gets Jahleel Addae flowing in that direction, leaving the free safety out of position and setting him up for the cut that sprung Kittle free for the score.

It was clear in the second quarter that Beathard would have success manipulating Chargers defenders with his eyes, as he did the same to Denzel Perryman on this completion to Garcon, the throwing lane created by the linebacker cheating to his right enabling Beathard to hit the veteran wideout perfectly in stride over the middle.

Beathard’s ability to consistently use his eyes to move defenders hints at a player who is much more comfortable operating at NFL speed, yet an incompletion on the Niners penultimate drive provided a glimpse of where he is still lagging behind Garoppolo as a quarterback.

On the play-action throw, Kittle comes open as he starts his break to the outside and Jatavis Brown has his back turned to the play in coverage. Yet instead of driving the ball to Kittle at that point, Beathard is late with his throw and has to try achieve the much more difficult task of lofting the ball over both Brown and James.

Though Garoppolo struggled to replicate his stunning 2017 performances in his three 2018 games, that is the kind of throw the 49ers starter has consistently made in his all too brief time on the field and is what separates him from his backup.

Still, Beathard’s performance in Los Angeles indicated he has made significant strides have been made in his development. It is at best debatable whether he will ever be at Garoppolo’s level but, should he continue to progress in the same manner, the 49ers could soon be in the enviable position of having two starters who can run the offense to a high standard.