Jimmy Garoppolo benched for CJ Beathard in Week 5

Jimmy Garoppolo was benched in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins after a horrible first half, but San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shananan said the move was made for his quarterback’s safety.

Shanahan told the FOX broadcast that he was putting backup quarterback C.J. Beathard into the game for the second half “to protect Jimmy.” He didn’t specify what that meant, but many will speculate he was protecting his franchise quarterback’s reputation more than anything.

Garoppolo returned on Sunday after missing two games with an ankle injury, so that may have been a factor. He also took three sacks in the first half and was pressured on several throws. He completed just 7-of-17 passes for 77 yards and two interceptions, and the 49ers trailed 30-7 at halftime.

Garoppolo didn’t appear to be hampered by the ankle injury, and the 49ers likely would not have played him if he felt less than 100 percent healthy. It’s possible he suffered a setback at some point during the first half. Shanahan also could have been unhappy with the way the offense was playing as a whole and didn’t want Garoppolo taking any more hits.