SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 04: Nick Mullens #4 of the San Francisco 49ers pass the ball against Genard Avery #58 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the game at Levi’s Stadium on October 04, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Eagles took an interception to the house after a bad throw by Nick Mullens.
Nick Mullens got the start at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers once again with Jimmy Garoppolo out. While he wasn’t setting records, Mullens was doing enough to give his 49ers a lead in the fourth quarter Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Then Carson Wentz woke up and threw a touchdown pass to go up 18-14 in the fourth quarter. Mullens was then given a chance to lead a comeback. He threw a terrible pick-six instead.
Eagles defense comes up huge
What a drastic turn of events. The 49ers were enjoying a 14-11 lead until a Mullens fumble gave the ball to the Eagles. Wentz threw a touchdown dime to Travis Fulgham and Mullens threw his interception the following play. A 14-11 lead turned into a 25-14 deficit in a matter of minutes.
Kyle Shanahan saw enough after back-to-back Mullens turnovers and put in C.J. Beathard following the pick-six. The result was a touchdown drive, so it was hard to fault the move. Mullens was also clearly shaken and the 49ers needed a spark on offense.
There was some talk about whether Mullens playing well would earn him the starting spot over Garoppolo. That seemed like a stretch at the time and looks like a foolish thought after this performance. Garoppolo is the starting quarterback and there is no question about that.
Meanwhile, the Eagles helped their chances of picking up their first win of the season with the amazing play on defense. Defenders are known to drop easy interceptions and doing so here would have been yet another reason for fans to scream in this tough start to the season.
The defense built the lead and Mullens lost his job in the process. All after one bad pass.