C.J. Beathard finds @AldrickRobinson for the TD! #SFvsWAS pic.twitter.com/EZvcCLiQ9e
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 15, 2017
It finally happened.
After five straight losses and a discouraging performance in his sixth start of the year, Brian Hoyer was replaced by rookie C.J. Beathard.
In his NFL debut, Beathard completed 19-of-36 attempts for 245 yards, and with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Beathard threw his first career touchdown pass. The third round pick out of Iowa found Aldrick Robinson on a 45-yard pass after the Washington Redskins’ defense completely lost track of Robinson racing down the field.
Beathard needed to step up in the pocket to deliver the ball, but he found a wide open Robinson to cut the 49ers’ deficit from 26-17 to 26-24. Though San Francisco had one more opportunity on offense, Beathard wound up throwing a game-sealing interception on fourth down and 20 as San Francisco’s comeback effort fell just short.
However, it’s entirely possible the rookie did more than enough to become the team’s permanent starter, and his touchdown pass certainly helped his cause.
