Nick Mullens Shines in 49ers' 36-9 Week 3 Win Over Giants
Losing so many key players to injuries was supposed to derail the San Francisco 49ers.
Clearly, they didn't get the message as they easily handled the New York Giants 36-9 with their "B-team".
It was a complete victory for the 49ers. They put on an absolute clinic. Both sides of the ball played superb. Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh called a perfect game. Best part of all is the 49ers did not succumb to a tsunami of injuries outside of Emmanuel Moseley (concussion) and Jordan Reed (ankle).
However, despite the strong all-around performance by the 49ers, the story of the day is how backup quarterback Nick Mullens shined.
When the game was all said and done, Mullens finished with 25-of-36 passes completed, 343 yards, and one touchdown pass. He had an elite passer rating of 108.9 and ZERO turnovers.
Mullens started out slow, which was to be expected, but once he found his rhythm, the Giants could do nothing. There came a point in the second half of the game where Mullens was slinging it with such confidence. All that would happen from his throws was chunk play after chunk play.
Mullens protected the football, made clutch throws to sustain drives, and didn't take sacks. He did everything a team needs its backup quarterback to do and then some. This isn't the 2018 Mullens 49ers fans remember. This is a guy who has developed into a solid quarterback.
In fact, he very well could start for a few teams given his performance against the Giants. And yes, I know he performed strong against a poor team, but that is a moot point. Mullens had not started a game in nearly two years and was without a bunch of top-tier talent on offense. Yet, he stepped in and played like THE MAN.
Mullens played so well that the 49ers should feel comfortable resting Jimmy Garoppolo for a second consecutive week.
He has proven himself more than capable. There is no reason to risk Garoppolo who is currently nursing a high ankle sprain. The 49ers should be able to handle the Eagles at Levi's Stadium just as easily as they did with the Giants without Garoppolo.
Plus, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle could be back in week 4 from their own injuries. If that is the case, then Mullens will look just as good as he did today.
Winning against the Giants was critical given the state of the NFC West. Thankfully the 49ers had Mullens as their backup to keep the offense firing on all cylinders.
