FRIDAY INJURY REPORT
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
–OUT: G Joshua Garnett (toe), CB Richard Sherman (calf)
–DOUBTFUL: S Jaquiski Tartt (shoulder)
–QUESTIONABLE: RB Matt Breida (knee), S Adrian Colbert (hip), RB Alfred Morris (knee)
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
–OUT: T Joe Barksdale (knee), DE Joey Bosa (foot), LB Kyzir White (knee)
–QUESTIONABLE: WR Keenan Allen (knee, tooth), WR Travis Benjamin (foot)
PLAYER NOTES
–QB Jimmy Garoppolo (torn left ACL) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. He is out for the season. Garoppolo was injured in the fourth quarter at Kansas City in the Week 3 loss. He is expected to have surgery in early October and be ready for training camp next season.
–QB C.J. Beathard will be the starting quarterback moving forward following the injury to QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Beathard started five games as a rookie last season, going 1-4, but did lead the club to their first win of the season, 31-21 over the New York Giants in Week 10.
–QB Nick Mullens was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster Wednesday. The second-year pro has never thrown an NFL pass and will serve as QB C.J. Beathard’s backup.
–OLB Reuben Foster returned from a two-game suspension and started at weakside linebacker against Kansas City. Foster left the field for one play when he got the wind knocked out of him, but returned to play 75 of the 76 defensive snaps.
–MLB Fred Warner retained his starting position in the middle of the San Francisco defense even with OLB Reuben Foster and OLB Malcolm Smith making their 2018 debuts at Kansas City. The rookie led the team with 11 tackles.
–DB/FS Jimmie Ward replaced DB Ahkello Witherspoon as the starting right cornerback for the Kansas City game. He likely will be move to left corner to replace DB Richard Sherman in the Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, with Witherspoon regaining his spot at right corner.
–PK Robbie Gould extended his franchise record for consecutive field goals made to 31 with a pair against Kansas City. He has made at least one field goal in 23 straight games.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: QB C.J. Beathard. Most observers are expecting the 49ers to suffer dire consequences as a result of the season-ending injury suffered by QB Jimmy Garoppolo. But at least Beathard has experience in the Kyle Shanahan offense, having thrown for 1,430 yards in six games (five starts) last season.
GAME PLAN: Respond to adversity. That will be the battle cry both offensively and defensively against the Los Angeles Chargers, with the 49ers having lost their best player on both sides of the ball. It’s no time to turn conservative, with the Chargers a far better team offensively than defensively. With WR Marquise Goodwin having returned to the lineup and TE George Kittle emerging into a highly productive player, new QB C.J. Beathard has the tools with which to attack a Los Angeles defense that’s strong neither against the run nor pass.
Meanwhile, it would behoove the 49ers to improve upon the seven total sacks they’ve recorded in their first three games. With a healthy corps of linebackers primed to deal with Chargers standout RB Melvin Gordon, it’s up to the defensive line to pressure QB Philip Rivers into quick decisions against a secondary that was weak even before star DB Richard Sherman got injured.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–49ers WR Pierre Garcon vs. Chargers DB Trevor Williams. For whatever reason, Garcon was far more a factor with QB Brian Hoyer and QB C.J. Beathard behind center last season than with QB Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm this year. Beathard would be wise to rekindle that relationship against a Chargers defense that’s already allowed 583 yards and seven touchdowns to wideouts this season.
–49ers MLB Fred Warner vs. Chargers RB Melvin Gordon. The key to the game could be the ability of the San Francisco linebackers to stall the Los Angeles running game, making the Chargers one-dimensional. Warner has been so good in his first three games that the 49ers returned star OLB Reuben Foster as an outside linebacker in his season debut last week. The 49ers have been strong against the run so far, but they haven’t encountered a talent quite like Gordon yet.
