One of the more difficult decisions 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has had to make this season came at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
Nick Mullens finished the first half of the 49ers' 23-15 loss to Washington completing only 50 percent of his pass attempts. The Southern Miss quarterback also fumbled the ball late in the second quarter, giving Washington rookie Chase Young a scoop-and-score touchdown and his team a six-point advantage heading into halftime.
Shanahan still chose to open the second half with Mullens under center. Once the young quarterback threw a pick-six late in the third quarter to put the game nearly out of reach, the head coach thought the time had come to replace Mullens with C.J. Beathard.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
After the game, Shanahan explained his thought process behind electing to keeping Mullens in the game.
“I wanted to give C.J. a chance to warm up and so he was warming up during the next drive,” Shanahan said. “During the next drive, Nick made some big third downs and we went down there and scored. So after he took us on a scoring drive, I changed my mind.”
RELATED: Where 49ers stand in NFC playoff bracket after latest loss
Prior to the pick-six, Mullens had moved the team down the field for just 68 yards on 11 plays. On the ensuing drive, the offense was assisted by a Washington penalty to keep the drive alive, but Mullens and the offense still were responsible for an 11-play, 60-yard series that resulted in eight points after a successful 2-point conversion.
San Francisco 49ers
“It wasn’t all Nick, we didn’t play good around him either,” Shanahan said. “Nick missed a few open throws today where he could do better. I think the main thing was the turnovers. That’s what we have to eliminate and that’s what we haven’t done a good job at this year.”
Mullens is loved by his teammates and staff, but his ability to stay accurate and keep the ball secure has continued to be a problem. Mullens ended the day completing 25 of his 45 attempts for 260 yards, one touchdown, one interception and one lost fumble.
While sticking with Mullens might seem questionable to the those outside the organization, Shanahan already knows what he has in Beathard. The Iowa product is 1-9 in his 10 starts for the 49ers, and has an equal number of career touchdowns (13) as interceptions.
The head coach still believes Mullens gives the team the best chance to win.