49ers' C.J. Beathard: May have serious leg injury

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged that Beathard may have suffered a serious leg injury in Sunday's 24-13 loss to the Seahawks, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports. "I've got a lot of respect for how [Beathard] plays," said Shanahan. "He gets better each week and hopefully (the injury) is not as bad as it looked"

Beathard was pulled after taking a big hit with about one minute left in the game, finishing 22-of-38 passing for 201 yards with no touchdowns and one interceptions. He did add 21 yards on six carries, but he also took three sacks and didn't lead the Niners to any points until their eighth drive of the game. Jimmy Garoppolo came in for the final three snaps and completed both of his pass attempts for 18 yards and a touchdown. The ongoing quarterback debate would quickly become a moot point if it turns out that Beathard suffered a serious injury. The Niners will travel to Chicago in Week 13, potentially allowing Garoppolo to make his start of the season in his hometown.