49ers set new standard for futility

Benching quarterback Brian Hoyer for rookie CJ Beathard gave the San Francisco 49ers a lift - just enough to make their latest loss another close one and make them the first team in NFL history to lose five straight games by three points or less.

With third-round pick Beathard throwing his first pass as a pro against the club for which his grandfather was a Super Bowl-winning general manager decades ago, the 49ers made things interesting on Sunday before losing 26-24 to the Washington Redskins.

San Francisco is now 0-6 under rookie head coach Kyle Shanahan and has lost its past five games by a total of 13 points, another unprecedented mark.