49ers bench struggling Brian Hoyer for rookie QB

The C.J. Beathard era in San Francisco is upon us. After yet another brutal early-game performance, the San Francisco 49ers have benched veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer in favor of the rookie third-round pick from Iowa.

In no way should this be considered a surprise. Hoyer, who had thrown just four touchdowns in five games heading into Sunday’s action, started the game by completing 4-of-11 passes for 34 yards.

When Beathard took over more than midway through the second quarter, San Francisco already found itself in a 14-0 hole against the Washington Redskins.

The rookie would go on to miss on his first three of his first four pass attempts, including a third-down pass that was nearly intercepted.

At 0-5 on the season, the 49ers are an absolute dumpster fire under first-year head coach Kyle Shanahan. The hope here is that maybe Beathard can spark an otherwise anemic offense. But without a ton of talent at the skill positions, that’s a mighty tall task for the former Hawkeye.