San Francisco 49ers: The Nick Mullens era begins as 49ers rout Raiders

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens shines in his first NFL start, defeating the Oakland Raiders, 34-3, on national television

The San Francisco 49ers were in a dire quarterback situation heading into a Thursday night clash with the Oakland Raiders. Starter C.J. Beathard was dinged up with a wrist injury. Nick Mullens, elevated to starter, had never played in a regular season game. And prior to the game, the Niners waived journeyman QB Tom Savage.

The Raiders defense must have been licking their collective chops at the thought of getting a shot at the untested rookie.

The NFL certainly wasn’t envisioning a battle of one-win teams in week nine when it created the schedule prior to the season. When there’s only one game scheduled on a Thursday night national broadcast, it’s impossible to flex out to a better game.

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But sometimes, fate smiles down upon you. Fans in the stadium and viewers on television, were treated to an entertaining game that marked the beginning of the Nick Mullens era.

Mullens, an undrafted second-year player from Southern Miss, was on target from the get-go. His third NFL pass was a 24-yard touchdown strike to Pierre Garcon.

On the team’s next drive, Mullens moved the Niners quickly down the field, and connected with Kendrick Bourne for a four-yard score.

In the final two minutes of the first half, Mullens hit Richie James on a short slant that went for 53 yards. Mullens should have had his third touchdown pass on a James dropped ball; instead, the Niners settled for a field goal and a 17-3 halftime lead.

Mullens was 12 of 17 for 167 yards and two touchdowns n– in the first half alone.

On the second play of the second half, Mullens squeezed a pass through three defenders to tight end George Kittle, who made a spectacular one-handed catch up the middle for 72 yards. Two plays later, Mullens hit Kittle with a five-yard touchdown pass.

On their very next drive, Raheem Mostert changed it up, taking a Mullens pitch and picked his way through the Raiders defense for a 52-yard touchdown run. The Niners were up 31-3 early in the third quarter. (Sadly, Mostert suffered a gruesome arm injury later in the quarter.)

On defense, nothing makes you look stout like a leaky Raiders offensive line. The Niners, who have gone all season not putting pressure on the opposing quarterback, sacked Derek Carr seven times — and A.J. McCarron once.

But the star of the night was Mullens. At six-foot-one, Mullens is considered small, but he’s not Doug Flutie small. And none of his passes were batted down at the line, a malady the six-foot-two Beathard suffers on a regular basis.

For the game, Mullens completed 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He finished with a stellar quarterback rating of a 151.9.

Besides putting up great numbers, Mullens demonstrated the good instincts that have been lacking in Beathard. Mullens completed passes to eight different receivers and didn’t lock on just one player.

Mullens ran through his progressions smartly and released the ball quickly. He showed a lot of poise in the pocket, and avoided getting sacked.

It would be hard to imagine coach Kyle Shanahan going back to Beathard after Mullens’ performance in prime time. The Niners have a winnable game next week against the New York Giants, and it would be great for Mullens to continue building confidence with a second straight victory.

Beathard is a serviceable backup, but he’s had ample time to show that he’s not a starter. It’s time to find out what Nick Mullens can do for the San Francisco 49ers.