Kyle Shanahan is no stranger to adversity. His tenure with the 49ers began with nine straight losses before winning six of the last seven games thanks in large part to the acquisition of now franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The 2018 season, following Garoppolo’s season-ending torn ACL suffered in Week 3, has felt a lot like the start of 2017. Backup C.J. Beathard lost all five of his starts after taking over for Garoppolo and is now 1-9 under center for the 49ers. It wasn’t until Thursday’s debut of backup Nick Mullens, who replaced the injured Beathard, that the 49ers were given a reason to celebrate following their primetime beatdown of the Oakland Raiders.