© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
SANTA CLARA — After the 49ers drubbed the visiting Oakland Raiders, 34-3, Thursday night, tight end George Kittle walked into the auditorium postgame with a wide smile.
“Howdy!” he said to reporters.
When Kittle was asked about his 71-yard one-handed catch, he discounted it, saying he closed his eyes, stuck out his hand, and got lucky. When he was asked about quarterback Nick Mullens, however, Kittle was basically brimming with stories and praise.
In his first ever NFL start, Mullens had led the 49ers to their largest margin of victory since Week 4 of the 2012 season. He took the helm with C.J. Beathard dealing with a right wrist injury, then elevated the 49ers offense.
Kittle began with his favorite story of Mullens. On weeks of away games, Mullens goes home and plays crowd noise in his headphones, then recites the plays out loud.
Then came another story. Last year, Kittle said, Mullens, who was the practice squad quarterback, took the game script after games, went out to the field, and ran the plays by himself.
“He is more prepared than Coach Shanahan, I swear, for our games,” Kittle said of Mullens.
Most stories depict Mullens as a football junkie.
He played in a spread offense at Southern Mississippi, where he broke Brett Favre’s passing and touchdown records. During his senior year, as he prepared for the East-West Shrine Bowl, he YouTube-searched how to take snaps under center.
Matt Breida says he arrives at the facilities earlier than most, but Mullens is always there before him. Teammates praise Mullens’ study habits and overall work ethic.
The second-year quarterback walks around the locker room with a quiet confidence. But Richard Sherman forced Mullens out of his shell by assigning him pregame speech duties Thursday night.
First @NFL start comes under the bright lights of Thursday Night Football. @NickMullens x #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/B2o00EDdhz
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 2, 2018
“He did phenomenal because that’s what the team needed in a situation like this, primetime, Thursday night, this guy’s first start,” Sherman said. “The team needs to hear from him. He is going to lead us out there today, he’s going to be the guy who gets us this win.”
Mullens did — and was nearly perfect in the process.
He completed 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns. He completed his first six throws. He led the 49ers to consecutive touchdown drives to start the game for the first time all season. He did not turn the ball over, which has been San Francisco’s most persistent issue all year.
“I think I am here for a reason, and it was my opportunity to prove I can play,” Mullens said.
Mullens may not be the starter in two weeks, or in Week 17. He may never replicate Thursday’s performance. But he has given 49ers fans a reason to watch for the first time since Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 3. Beathard is 1-8 in nine career starts.
These 49ers have been frustrating because they have not been totally incompetent. They will play well for three quarters, only to squander the lead late. They have held second-half leads in seven of their nine games — and are 2-7 on the year. Strings of empty possessions have followed promising ones, making this team difficult to understand.
For the first time all year, those issues of inconsistency did not resurface. They played a complete game Thursday night.
The last time they took a 14-point lead, in Week 4 against the Chargers, it was gone by halftime. On Thursday, they continued to extend their lead to a point that was too great for the Raiders to overcome. The 49ers never trailed.
Mullens propelled the victory, San Francisco’s first in seven weeks, in primetime, against the other Bay Area team.
“It was cool that he didn’t change under the big lights and circumstances,” Sherman said.
The 49ers are all-but-excluded from the playoffs, but Mullens should give fans a reason to watch. He provides something new and fresh.
In a best-case world, he will play well enough to either provide an excellent backup option down the road or be a commodity on the trade market. The worst-case scenario reverts to status quo: Mullens struggles and returns to his role as the backup, and when Garoppolo comes back, the practice squad quarterback.
Kyle Shanahan would not say whether Mullens will start in Week 10 against the New York Giants. But he gave himself every chance to after Thursday’s performance, which certainly got his teammates’ attention.
“He did everything right today,” Sherman said. “This is Nick Mullens’ day.”