49ers QB named King's ‘Goat of the Week' second straight game

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For the second straight game, a 49ers quarterback earned the dubious honor of Peter King's "Goat of the Week." 

Nick Mullens earned the ugly honor for his performance in the 49ers' Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and now Jimmy Garoppolo has done so for his play before being benched in San Francisco's 43-17 Week 5 loss Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. 

"With a quarterback line like a classic Ryan Leaf line -- 7 of 17 passing for 77 yards, no TDs, two interceptions, 15.7 rating -- Garoppolo, the jillionaire passer, got yanked at halftime for C.J. Beathard (1-9 as a starter) in a humiliating 43-17 San Francisco loss," NBC Sports' Peter King wrote. "The 49ers may very well not be who we thought they were, and Garoppolo is proving definitively that the football world was right to have significant questions about his ability during a shaky playoff run last season."

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Garoppolo returned to the field after missing the past two games from a high ankle sprain. It was clear right away that Garoppolo wasn't himself. He had nothing behind his throws, wasn't moving well and lofted up floaters that any JV player could pick off. Beathard wasn't much better, but he also isn't seen as the franchise QB. 

ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio questioned Kyle Shanahan's decision to even start Garoppolo during Sunday's edition of "Football Night in America." 

"Jimmy Garoppolo to a certain extent was set up to fail," Florio said. "Who signed off on him playing in this game when he clearly was still having issues with that ankle? And we see him get pulled out of the game in part because he wasn't playing well, but in part because they wanted to protect him from further injuries. 

"Now you have to ask yourself, how long do you shut him down for? Who do you go with? Nick Mullens last week disqualified himself from further consideration, so it's C.J. Beathard until [Garoppolo's] healthy."

RELATED: Grades on offense, defense in Week 5 loss to Dolphins

Shanahan will have some serious decisions to make as the 49ers, with a lowly 2-3 record, enter a grueling stretch of the season that sees them play the Los Angeles Rams twice, the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills. 

From the Super Bowl to the bottom of the NFC West, things have gone sour in Santa Clara.

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