Mullens makes historic debut for S.F.
QB on fire to rout Raiders
Nick Mullens threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns for the most productive NFL debut since the merger, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 34-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders in a lopsided Battle of the Bay last night in Santa Clara, Calif.
NFL
George Kittle made an impressive one-handed catch on a 71-yard play that set up his touchdown from Mullens and Pierre Garcon caught his first TD pass in two seasons with the 49ers (2-7), who snapped a sixgame losing streak and won for just the second time in two years without Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback. Mullens got the nod after C.J. Beathard injured his right wrist last week and made the most of his opportunity against a defense for the Raiders (1-7) that is one of the worst in the league. The former undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi got rid of the ball quickly and took advantages of several breakdowns in coverage for big plays, including the 24-yard TD pass to a wide-open Garcon on the opening drive. Mullens finished 16-for-22 and had a 151.9 passer rating, the highest for a quarterback with at least 15 attempts in an NFL debut since the 1970 merger. He threw TD passes to Garcon and Kendrick Bourne on the opening two drives and coasted from there to the most lopsided win in this series since San Francisco won the first meeting 38-7 in 1970. Raheem Mostert added a 52-yard touchdown run and the Niners outgained the Raiders 405-248 for the game. In what was perhaps the worst prime-time matchup in NFL history, only the Raiders played down to expectations. They provided little resistance on defense against an undrafted quarterback making his NFL debut, did nothing offensively after driving for as field goal on the opening drive and put together the most listless performance yet in coach Jon Gruden’s second stint as coach. Oakland has now lost four games in a row, getting outscored by 85 points during the skid, and are just playing out the string in a season that began with optimism because of Gruden’s return. Derek Carr finished 16-for22 for 171 yards and was sacked five times before being replaced by AJ McCarron in the fourth quarter. McCarron was sacked once. Gase backs Tannehill Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase offered a passionate defense of Ryan Tannehill , saying his beleaguered quarterback has showed improvement that continued into the start of this season. Tannehill will miss his fourth consecutive game Sunday against the New York Jets because of an injury to his throwing shoulder. Replacement Brock Osweiler has gone 1-2 as the starter but has played well, providing fresh fodder for Tannehill’s many critics. Gase dismissed those detractors in the media and elsewhere who argue it’s time for Miami (4-4) to find another quarterback. “What qualifications are we talking about with the people saying that? None,” Gase said. “So I don’t really care what anybody else thinks.” “He has some rare qualities that you can’t find in a lot of guys physically. The more that he keeps playing, he keeps learning game to game. Where’s our ceiling at? I don’t think we’re close to it. I think we just keep getting better, and keep finding ways to maximize his skillset.”
Corner shuffle
Veteran cornerback Tramon Williams is in the mix to replace the traded Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at safety for the Green Bay Packers. Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said Williams will play some safety, though he did not classify it as a fulltime move for now. The Packers are preparing for a tough road game against the Patriots Sunday . The 35-year-old Williams is in his second stint with the Packers after returning this past offseason to the team that gave him his first shot in the NFL in 2007 as an undrafted second-year player out of Louisiana Tech.